59th Congress \ t;FV\'i'T (Document 

2d Session : i >r.N.\ii. s jj^, ggg 



BULLETINS 



ON THE 



2.; 

RUBBER PRODUCING CAPACITY 
OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



BUREAU OF INSULAR AFFAIRS 

WAR DEPARTMENT 






WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1907 



59T1I Congress, | SENATE. j Document 

2dSessw)i. \ j No. 356. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE 

ISLANDS. 



LETTER 



THE SECRETARY OF WAR, 

SUI!MlTTlN(i. 

PURSUANT TO SENATE RESOLUTION OF FEERUARY 18, 1907, 
INFORMATION AS TO THE RUBBER- PRODUCING CAPACITY OF 
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



Referred to the Committee ou the Thilippines and oi-do) 
to be printed, with the illustrations. 



War Department, 

Washington^ February £5, 1907. 
Sir: In compliance with resolution of the Senate of February 18, 
190T, directing the Bureau of Insular Affairs, through its Chief, to 
inform the Senate as to the rubber-producing capacity of the several 
islands in the Philippine Archipelago that belong to the United 
States, and that he give an approximate area of rubber-producing 
lands in said several islands, and of the different descriptions of 
rubber-bearing trees, vines, and bulbs from which india rubber is 
derivable, and the general bearing productiveness of such islands as 
commodities of commercial value. I have the honor to inform you 
that immediately on receipt of the above the following cablegram 
was sent to the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands at 
Manila : 

Senate resolution calls for report rubber-producing capacity of the several 
islands. Philippine An^hipelago. approximate area rubber-producing lands, de- 
scriptions different rubber-bearing trees, vines, and bulbs. Have you any more 
definite data as to these points than that in bulletins dated September 20, 1903, 
November 15, 1905, Government laboratories at Manila? Hurry answer. 

and this day the following reply has been received : 

Referring to telegram from your office of 19th instant, rubber found indige- 
nous in the Philippine Islands only in vine, a species of chonemorpha mentionec? 



2 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OP THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

in bulletin, 1903, and Puramt'iia pJiilippiiiciisis. although the latter commercially 
unimportant until process pertected for extracting rubber from the bark. 

Thx'ee tropical American trees, producing para, ccani, and castiUoa rubber, 
introduced since American occupation, and there are now planted in the More 
Province 77^ acres of these three trees. Successful cultivation these trees 
northern provinces problematical on account of liability to destruction by ty- 
phoons and lieaA'y winds. Conditions in the southern provinces were favorable, 
especially in Mindanao. From contemplated plantings it is estimated that on 
June 1 acreage of the trees above mentioned will be 370 in the Moro Province. 
Subject of gutta-percha : All forest product, no plantations ; exhaustively 
treated in bulletin, September, 1903. 

I have the honor to inclose herewith the two bulletins referred to. 
The bulletin by P. L. Sherman, jr., published in 1903, is a general 
study of the subject of gutta-percha and rubber in the Philippine 
Islands, more, as will be seen on examining it, with reference to the 
possibilities of improved rubber and gutta-percha culture than with 
reference to the then existing condition of living industries in the 
Philippine Islands. 

I also inclose the bulletin of the Bureau of Forestry, dated Novem- 
ber 15, 1905, on the same subject. 

It will be seen that both of these bulletins contain a great deal of 
matter foreign to the inquiry in the Senate resolution, but it is almost 
impossible without inclosing them both to show clearly why more 
exact information can not be given. Briefly, while a great part of 
the southern islands of the archipelago are believed to be suitable to 
the cultivation of rubber, there has been up to the present commer- 
cially no such cultivation. Those interested in this matter in the 
archipelago are hopeful, but as the industry is in its merest infancy, 
no statistics bearing thereon are available. 

Very respectfully, Wm. H. Taft, 

Secretary of War. 

The President of the Senate, Washington. 



BUREAU OF GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES. 

(Bulletin No. 7.) 

THE GUTTA-PERCHA AND RUBBER OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

By Penoyicr L. Sherman, Jr.. Ph. D. 

letter of transmittal. 

Department of the Interior, 
Bt'RKAu OF Government Laboratories, 

Manila, P. I., ^eptcmher 20, 190S. 
Sir: I have the houov herewith to transniit for publication as a bulletin a 
mono.irraph on the s'utta-porcha and ruliher of the Pliilippinc Islamls, by Penoyer 
L. Sherman, jr., Ph. D., chemist in the bureau of government laboratories. 
I am, very respectfully, 

Paul C. Freer, 
Superintendent Government Laboratories. 
Hon. .Tames F. S.mith, 

Aetiiig Scerctary of the Interior. 

INTROnUC'TION. 

The material for this bulletin was collected under the direction of the 
bureau of forestry and of the bureau of government labm'atories. As early 
as 1900 the attention of the government was called to the fact that many 
of the wild tribes in the southern islands were engaged in cutting down large 
numbers of forest trees in order to secure the gutta-percha and rubber which 
they contained. These products they bartered to the Chinese, who in turn 
exported them to Singapore. 

The matter v.as considered important enough to demand investigation, be- 
cause — 

(1) The trees were being cut down in violation of forestry rules. 

(2) No forestry dues were paid by those either collecting or exporting these 
forest products. 

(3) Judging from the experience of the English and Dutch in the Malay 
Peninsula. Sumatra, and Borneo it would only be a question of a short time, 
if the wild tribes were allowed to have their own way, when there would not 
be one tree of this class left standing in the Philippines. 

Unfortunately there was no information at hand on the subject. In June, 
1001, I was sent as a special agent of the foi-estry bureau to Singapore, the 
Malay Federated States, and Java to study the laws and conditions under 
which these forest products were grown, collected, and marketed. 

Provided with the information thus gathered and which is detailed below, 
upon my I'eturn to iManila four months later I was again sent to the southern 
Philippines to repeat my investigations and as before, to make collections 
of herbarium material and samples of the various kinds and grades of gutta- 
percha and rubber foimd thei'c. 

This first southern trip consumed several months, for while specimens of 
marketable gutta-percha and I'ubber could be secured in the principal towns, 
all herbarium material and gums from each tree species had to be taken 
personally to avoid all sources of (>rror. 

The trips along the coasts and rivers of many of the islands were made in 
small native sail and row boats, and the journeys into the forests of the 
interior were completed on foot with native guides and carriers. The native 



4 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

gum collectors themselves, their method of felling the trees and vines, securing 
the gutta-percha and rubber, preparing the same for market, the prices they 
received both in money and barter were thus seen at first hand, and of course 
opportunity seciu'ed fm' making herbarium collections of the variou.s species 
of trees and vines yielding gutta-percha and rubber. In the principal towns- 
the market conditions of supply, demand, prices, etc., were studied. 

Upon my return to Manila I was ordered to be transferred to the bureau of 
government lal)oratories, in order that all specimens collected might be tested 
chemically and physically so as to determine their relative values. This 
analytical work, as well as several subsequent trips to the southern islands. 
Paragua, Mindoro, and Culiou, in search of new material, has been carried out 
and is here rei)orted. 

The identification of the various species of gutta-percha and rubber trees 
and vines was kindly undertaken by Mr. E. D. i\Ierrill, botanist for the biu*eau. 
who also assisted greatly in collecting herbarium nuaterial in Mindoro and 
Culion. 

My thanks are also due to Messrs. J. H. Thigpeu and Paul Stangl for much 
assistance in the analytical work. To Capt. George P. Ahern, chief of the 
forestry bureau, and Dr. Paul C. Freer, superintendent of government labora- 
tories, I wish to express warm appreciation for their luany courtesies anrl valu- 
able suggestions in planning and carrying out the work. 



Part I. 
GTJTTA-PERCHA. 

I. IIISTOUICAL. 

As is the case with many other commercial products coining from oriental 
lands, the date of the discovery of gutta-percha is lost in oriental history. 
The famous Tradescaut Brothers in 1G56 (1) exhibited in their museum of 
curiosities in London a piece of gutta-percha which they had secured in the 
Far East. Also in 1822 Dr. William Montgomery (2), an English surgeon, saw 
whips and other articles of gutta-percha in use by the natives of Singapore. 
It is therefore safe to assume that the real discovery of this remarlcable sub- 
stance was made at some time previous to either of these dates. 

The western or commercial discovery of gutta-percha was delayed until 
1843, when both Doctors Montgomery and D'Almeide sent specimens of the giim 
and leaves of the tree to London. While the specimens of D'Almeide were 
neglected, those of Montgomery received enough attention from the scientists 
■of the Royal Society of Arts to demonstrate some of the uses to ^^'llich the sub- 
stance might be put. The botanists agreed that the tree belonged to the family 
8apotcice(t\ but as neither flowers nor fruit were at hand they could go no fur- 
ther with the identification. 

In 1847 the greatest advance was made toward the utilization of gutta- 
percha. Considerable amounts had from time to time been shipped to London, 
and experiments were made to determine its physical and chemical charac- 
teristics. Luckily a sample fell into the hands of a young German artillery 
lieutenant, Werner von Siemens, who was then experimenting with insulating 
material for subterranean and submarine telegraphic cables {?>). The ease with 
which gutta-percha lent itself to this object and the high efficiency obtained 
induced him to construct a machine for insulating cables. The methods he 
adopted, as well as the kind of machinery, have been with few modifications 
in use ever since. 

The subsequent history of gutta-percha runs parallel with that of submarine 
and subterranean electric cables, for three-foiu'ths of all the gutta-percha pro- 
duced has been used on them. With the construction of the great trans- 
Atlantic cables in the sixties and seventies of the past century, the demand for 
gutta-percha became enormous and the details of its value and ready market 
traveled over all this part of the Orient. 

When the Malay Peninsula adjacent to Singapore failed to supply sufficient 
quantities to meet the demand the adjacent islands of the Rhio Archipelago 
and Sumatra were invaded and rich finds made. Finally Borneo was included 
Jn the producing zone, and lastly the Philippines. 



RUBBER-PPiODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 5 

At what (late tlio Philippines bepui to exijort .mitta-perdia to Singapore, the 
center of the trade, can not l)e learned with any degree o{ certainty. l'rob;>l)ly 
twenty years ago varing Quantities were exported, but apparently the trade 
died out, owing, it is said, to the wholesale adulterations practiced by the 
Chinese exporters and the prohibitory laws of the Spanish Government. For 
the last ten years prior to the American occupation of the islands but little 
had been shipped, though the collecting and exporting began very soon, after- 
wards and increased at once to large proportions. 

II. I!{)^A^'ICAT.. 

In Uvi year in which Von Siemens made his great discovery of the insulating 
value of gutta-percha for submarine cables Sir Joseph Hooker. Beutham, and 
others worked out the status of the gutta-percha tree. From the first specimen 
of leaves, which had been sent to England several years previously, it was 
seen that the tree belonged to the natural family of Sapotacca' (4). The 
many species of this family are scattered over tile tropical and semitropical 
world and are distinguisiied by tlie c\ vious property all possess of secreting a 
milk or latex in the inner layers oi' the i)ark. When the liark is rut or 
bruised and the capillary sacks and tubes wiiicii rontaiu the latex are rup- 
tiu'ed it ticnvs out with greater or less abundance, according to the species of 
the tree. This milk probably serves in the plant economy as a protection; 
still its is primarily an excretion, since it is discarded by the tree in its dead 
leaves and bark, and the bark of the live tree can be tapped and the latex 
removed with no apparent iujiiry to the tree. 

As has been stated, it was in 1847 that fvijeciniens of the flowers and fruit 
finally reached London and the complete botanical determination of them made, 
which resulted in giving to the tree the name '-S Dichopsis t/ntta Benth et 
Hook, fils. A few years later the Dutch botanist, lUirck, pointed out the fact 
that as early as ]S;>T I'adre Bhmco (o i had given the name of PalaqulHiii to this 
genius of Hapotuccn', and accordingly most botanists have adopted the generic 
name I'uUKjuiiun for these wonderful species " of forest trees which produce 
the bulk of all the gutta-percha of ci)nmierce. 

As the demand for gutta increased and the trees of the species Pal. fiutta 
bec.-iine scarcer and more ditiicult to reach, the native collecttn's were not slow 
in finding other sitecies that produced gutta-percha, though of an inferior quality. 
Among these Pul. trciihii Burck. Pai/cua leci ii Benth. et Hook, tils, and Mitnu- 
}«)l)K biiUtiu (Jaertaer. fils. are the best known. Many other spt^cies have been 
f(mnd in Sumatra, Borneo. Celebes, and the Malay Peninsula, but what part 
they i»lay in the production of the gulta-pcrclia of conunercc has not yet been 
determined. 

The accompanying figures will show some of the resemblances and differences 
between the species above mentioned. The trees of the genus PfiUKntlum are 
among the largest of the troi)ical forest and are generally to be noted by the 
brilliant green (-(dor of their leaves above and the golden to copi)er-brown 
shinuner below. 

The follc'Wing general descrii>tion of the i)!)t;niir;il cliarncteristics of Pula- 
quiinii is made l>y Mr. Merrill : 

I'ALAgl'II -M, I!I,.\.\C(I 1S;;T ( DlCllllI'SIS TIIWAn-liS.) 

Usually large trees with rusty-tomentose bnuichlets. Leaves obovate or 
oblong, acute or obtuse, petioled, coriaceous, glabrous beneath, oi- densely rust,v- 
tomentose. Flowers fascicled, axillary on the naked branches iielow the ter- 
minal leaves. Calyx lobes (>. in two series, corolla lobes ('>. St;iuiens 12 to IS, 
attached near the base of the corolla. Ovary (j-celled. Fruit fieshy, elipsoid 
or ovoid. 1 to '2 seeded. Seeds exalbuminous, cotyledons large, He.shy. 

In regard to the species M iniiisaps Imhifii mentioned al>;)ve, it is to be noted 
that it is the oidy represeiitaliv(< so far knov.n of gutta-percha producing trees 
in the Western Hemisphere. It was discovered in the (Juianas in 1S.")7 and 
contains a fairly good grade of gutta-percha. Obach ((») designates it in his 

" Of late .vears the r>utch and English botanists in the Orient have been in- 
clined to divide Pal. (jiitfa. the most valuable of the gutta-percha producing 
species. int(» three species, viz. Pal. i/utta. Pal. (jbloiit/ifoliinn. and Pal. honiccitse, 
but as no certainty of differentiation yet exists, while the gutta-percha from all 
is the same, tlu>y may lor the ]iresent be all classed under Pal. (jntta. 



6 



RUBBER-PKODUCIISrG CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



description as a substitute for gutta-percha in all its chemical and physical 
characteristics. Though of an inferior grade to that coming from Palaquium 
gutta, it may well be classed among the rest of the Palaquium and Payena 
species furnishing second and third grade gutta-percha. 

The gutta-percha trees of the Philippines embrace both Palaquium and 
Payena species, and while their complete determination or identification is 
still iintinished. those v/hich produce the gutta-percha of commerce have been 
located, and their final identification is only a matter of collecting more com- 
plete herbarium material. 

The following table (No. 1) gives the species at present known. Those 
marked (*) probably furnish the largest part of the gutta-percha exported 
from the southern islands : 

Table No. 1. — Present Icnoion species of gutta-percha. 



Species. 


Local name." 


Locality. 


Botanical description. 


Leaves rusty tomen- 
tose beneath : 
PaL latifolium 

Blanco. 
PaL oleiferum 
Blanco. 

PaL bai'nesii 


Palacpalac or 

Alacap. 
Alacap or Ba- 

racan. 

Nato 


Luzon to Min- 
danao. 
Luzon 

Masbate 

Mindanao 

do 


Leaves obovate. obtuse, 10 to 30 cm. long, .5 to 

15 cm. wide; nerves, about 15 pairs. 
Leaves obovate-lanceolate, 10 to 25 cm. long, 

6 to 10 cm. wide, acute; nerves, about 15 pairs; 
closely related to the preceding. 

Leaves obovate, obtuse, thin, 12 to 15 cm. long, 

7 to 8 cm. wide; nerves, 11 pairs. 

Leaves ovate or obovate, obtuse or acute, 12 to 
14 cm. long, 5 to cm. wide; nerves, 15 pairs. 

Leaves lanceolate, acute. 15 to 20 cm. long, 5 to 


Merrill. 
*Pal. ahernia- 
num Merrill. 
Leaves glabrous be- 
neath : 


Calapia 

do 


Burck. 
Pal. cuneatum 
Vidal. 

Pal. gigantifo- 
lium Merrill. 

Pal. luzoniense 

Vidal. 
*Pal. mindana- 
ense Merrill. 


Dulitan 


Luzon 

Tayabas 

Luzon 

Mindanao 


6 cm. wide; nerves, 12 to 14 pairs. 
Leaves ovate, lanceolate, or obovate, acute or 
■ obtu.se, 5 to 7 cm. long, 2 to 3 cm. wide; nerves, 

11 to 12 pairs; indistinct. 
Leaves obovate, 50 cm. long, 20 cm. wide; 


Bagalaiigit . . . 
Calapia 


nerves, 20 to 24 pairs. 
Leaves ovate, acute or obtuse, 10 to 14 cm. long, 

4 to (5 cm. wide; nerves, 12 pairs. 
Leaves ovate, acute, 9 to 12 cm. long, 4 to 5 cm. 

wide; petioles 3 cm. long; nerves, 14 to 16 


*Payenaleerii Bentli. 
and Hook. 


do 


Tawi-Tawi . . . 


Leaves ovate or ovate oblong, 5 to 10 cm. long, 
2.6, to 4 cm. wide, cuneate at the base; short 
acuminate at the apex. 



III. GEOGRAPHIC mSTRTKUTIOX. 

As previously stated, the first gutta-percha trees were reported from the 
island of Singapore, and in fact within a few miles of the city itself. When the 
substance became a marketable article these trees were the first to fall and ail 
of the island was soon devastated. The explorations from Singapore as a center 
were made in all directions and with remarkable success. All of the forest of 
the southern half of the Malay Peninsula gave large yields, as well as the 
islands of the Rhio Archipelago, Borneo, and most of Svmiatra. However, from 
all of the data which have been gathered from native sources, a-S well as from 
the information collected by many Dutch, English, and French explorers, it 
appears that the area of distribution of Palaquium nutta is sharply defined. 
Beyond the sixth degree north on the ^Nlalay Peninsula the trees become scarce 
or cease altogether ; on the northern end of Sumatra they are likewise lacking. 
Java, bordering close on Sumatra, contains none, and Celebes to the east of: 
Borneo has been found to be equally destitute. Reference to map (No. 'i) will 
show the area of distribution of the Palaquium gutta. which is practically 
included in a parallelogram inclosing the above-mentioned peninsula and ishmds. 
This area includes some 4.50,000 square miles of land, of which only a very 
small per cent is or ever was covered by gutta-percha trees. • 

Obach, in his celebrated book on gutta-percha, practically limits the area of 
gutta-percha production for the entire world to this small territory (7). While 
this statement is probably true so far as the gutta-percha from Palaquium gutta 
is concerned, we have already seen that the area of distribution of the other or 
inferior species is extended eastward so as to take in the Philippines, and the 
same is also true of Celebes, Java, and the northern half of the Malay Penin- 
sula. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



The number of gutta-percha producing species in the Philippines has already- 
been listed, and some of the localities given where they have been found. 
Attention is again called to the distribution of these localities, extending so far 
north as well as south, and it can be confidently expected that when the forest 
surveys are completed nearly all of the islands will be found to contain some 
species in more or less abundance. 

Owing to the limited extent of the areas where gutta-percha trees have so far 
been found on most of the islands, the regions which produce gutta-percha for 
the market at the present time are confined to the islands of Mindanao and 
Tawi-Tawi. The accompanying map (No. 2) is arranged to show the places 
where gutta-percha species have been found as well as to give some idea of 
the size of the districts producing the gutta-percha now being exported. The 
exact or even approximate extent of these areas is diflicult to calculate. Much 
has not yet been explored, and the information derived from the natives is 
vague and contradictory. The areas on the map are given conservatively and 
are known to produce gutta-percha at the present time. Other territories will 
probably become known as our intercourse with the wild tribes inhabiting these 
regions grows more friendly and open. 

List of towns and forest regions from which gutta-percha is exported to Singapore. 



Central point for 
collection and 
exportiitlon of 
gutta-percha. 



Cottabato , 



Zamboanga 
Jolo(Sulu). 
Bongrto 



Point of collection of gutta-percha 
from the various forest regions. 



Tukuran and Dinas 

Malabang 

Clan, Sarangani, and Binang 

Reina Regente and Salaya 

Baluan, Curuan, Talucsangi, Puerta 

Santa iSI aria, Dapitan, Misamis. 
Transshipped from Davao Cottabato, 

Zamboanga, or Siassi. 
Siassi, Baliimbing, Buan, Dajapatan .. 



Name of forest regions from which gutta- 
percha is collected. 



Dinas-Subano Camalarang, Labangas, 

Ttilairau. 
Laguna de Lanao, Baras, Liangan, Sega- 

yan. 
Tagabnli, Manobo, Hilan. Binang. 
Dama Balao, Matingauanan, Talayan. 
VVestern and northern Subano. 

Tawi-Tawi. 

Do. 



The islands of Paragua (Palawan) and Balabac were found destitute of 
cither gutta-percha or rubber-producing trees, although long and careful search 
was made for them in many localities. Owing to their close proximity to 
Borneo, and the fact that botanically and geologically these islands are sup- 
posed to be more closely allied to Borneo than to the rest of the Philippines, it 
was confidently expected that both gutta-percha and rubber would be found 
there. The absence of these forest products is probably due to the uneven 
distribution of the rainfall with a long drought in January. February, and 
March. 

IV. MKTHODS OF COLLECTING AND MARKKJ'ING. 
(a) COLLECTING. 

The question of what is the best method for collecting gutta-percha has 
troubled owners and dealers I'rom the beginning, and a satisfactory answer is 
still lacking. The trees are in the tropical forest regions of the Malay Archi- 
pelago, Borneo, and the Philippines, which are inhabited by the wildest pagan 
tribes only. These natives are the natural gutta-percha collectors, and as a 
matter of fact have done all the collecting since the beginning. They evolved a 
method which answered their reiiuirements very satisfactorily. As might be 
inferred, they wished the maximum yield of gutta-percha from each tree with 
the minimum expenditure of work or time. That the method was extremely 
wasteful did not concern them nor were they bothered over the prospect of a 
bankrupt future. 

The method, which is still in vogue from the westernmost part of Sumatra to 
the eastennnost point of Mindanao, is, with various minor modifications, prac- 
tically as follows : The tree is first cut down and the larger l»ranches at once 
lopped off, the collectors say, to prevent the gutta-percha milk from flowing 
back into the small branches and leaves. As has been previously stated, the 
milk or latex is contained in the inner layers of the bark and leaves, in small 
capillary tubes or ducts. (See fig. 14.) To open these so as to permit the 
maximum amount of the milk to escape, the natives cut rings in the bark about 
2 feet apart along the entire length of the trunk. The milk as it flows out is 



8 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

collected in gourds, cocoauut shells, large leaves, or in some districts in the 
chopped-up bark itself, which is left adhering to the tree for the purpose of act- 
ing as a sort of sponge. (See fig. 16.) After one or two hours, when the milk 
has ceased to flow, the contents of the receptacles are united and boiled over a 
fire for the purpose of finishing the partial coagulation. The warm, soft mass 
is then worked with cold water imtil a considerable amount of the liquid is 
mechanically inclosed. To further increase the weight, chopped bark, stones, 
etc., are added and the whole mass worked into the required shape with most 
of the dirt on the inside. 

The gutta-percha gathered in this way well repays the amount of work 
expended. The two vital defects of the method are — 

(1) The method is very wasteful, the yi»ld from each tree being a small 
proportion to the total amount. What this per cent is has been investigated 
by scientists with the result that the figures differ widely. Remembering that 
the gutta-percha milk is contained in capillary ducts and tubes, it will be seen 
that a considerable amount can not flow out on account of capillary attrac- 
tion, no matter how much cutting is done. It A'ery seldom happens also that 
a tree falls in such a way that all its trunk is exposed so as to admit of ring- 
ing on all sides. As a general thing from one-third to one-half of it is inac- 
cessible to the process of ringing, and all the milk within this portion is con- 
sequently lost. Even the larger limbs are not deemed worth ringing, and con- 
sequently all the milk in them and in the leaves also goes to waste ; to this 
must be added the considerable quantity spilled on the ground through care- 
lessness and lack of enough receptacles for every cut or In'uise from which the 
milk flows. (See fig. 1!).) 

The method employed to find whvd percentage of guttapercha has been 
removed from a tree l>y the native collectors was to determine the per cent 
of gutta-percha remaining in a given area of the bark, multiplying this by the 
total bark area of the tree, and adding 15 per cent of this amount for that 
contained in the i)ark of the branches and in the leaves. 

The amount A^hich the native collectors secure from the average full-grown 
tree apparently varies according to the species, season, personnel of collectors, 
etc. Most authorities place the amount per tree at one-fourth of a pound. 
The director of the botanical gai'den in Penang (8) secured I'v poimds of clear 
gutta-percha from a large tree {Fahiqulum f/utta) estimated to be GO years old. 
Wray (9) obtained somewhat over 2 pounds from a PiiJaquuim gutta tree at 
least 100 years old and 2i poiuids from one of an inferior species. 

Burck (10) made some extended experiments in Siunatra and secured an 
average of less than 1 pound from full-grown trees, while Serull.as (11) in 
Sumatra obtained almost 1 pound from a giant tree. Trees of inferior grade 
have been found to give as high as 8 pounds. Probably the best average obtain- 
able is 3 pounds. In the Tiruray district of Mindanao I secured 1 pound of 
clean gutta-percha from a tree 135 feet high and 5 feet 4 inches in circum- 
ference at the base. The woi'k was carefully done by the natives. Taking a 
measured amount of the bark of this tree after no more gutta-percha could be 
collected by the native method and extracting all of the gutta-percha which 
it still contained, it was estimated that after collection there still remained 
63 pounds of gutta-percha. Taking into consideration the fact that had the 
tree not fallen in such a way as to leave almost all of the trunk propped high 
enough above the ground to allow the milk to be extracted from the bark on 
the underside, the amount extracted would undoubtedly have been nuich less. 
or, in other words, ten times more gutta-percha would have been left to rot 
with the tree than was talcen from it by the natives. Other investigators 
have secured figures as large as these, and some found that forty times more 
gutta-percha was left l)ehind than v^•as secured by the careless collectors. 

(2) It leaves the future unprovided for. It has been seen that the invariable 
practice of the native collectors is to fell the tree in order to extract. the gutta- 
percha. (See fig. 20.) In some cases it has been reported that the stumps 
stool afterwards, and in course of time produce new trees, but it can be safely 
asserted that this is the exception and not the rule. Of those I have found 
cut down in the I'hillppines, none have ever stooled, though in one case I saw 
some of the roots of the stump alive long after the felled tree was well advanced 
toward decay. (See fig. 21.) 

It is fortunate that only the full-grown trees contain enough gutta-percha to 
repay the work of felling, ringing, etc. ; otherwise the complete extermination 
of the gutta-percha forest would only be a matter of a year or so. On the other 
hand, the felling of all the trees old enough to bear seed works to the same end 
with a somewhat longer limit. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. V) 

(6) MARKETING. 

Havins boon collected ami put in marketable shape, the gutta-percha is carried 
in baskets en the back of the collectors to the nearest waterway, and thence by 
boat (see lig. 2:2) to the most accessible town, where, applying the description 
to the Philippines, it is exchanged tor barter to some Moro, Chinese, or Filipino 
merchant (conierciante) living there for the purpose of dealing in all kinds of 
native products. From here it is shipped to one of the ports doing an export 
trade with Borneo and Singapore. The entire gutta-percha trade is practically 
in the hands of the CHiincse in the latter city, and they guard the secrets of 
boiling, working over, mixing, adulterating, and coloring the gutta-percha for 
European markets most zealously. All who have tried to investigate their 
methods agree that there is no cftnnection between the various grades and the 
different ti'ee species, and that pure gutta-percha from the species Palaqnium 
ffutta is no longer ftjund on the market unmixed with inferior grades. 

Strangely enough. I was unable to find in Singapore any statistics regarding 
the importation of Philippine gutta-i)ercha. The Chinese dealers denied receiv- 
ing any, and beycud a few piculs noted in the aniuial report statistics no men- 
tion of it was found anywhere. I afterwar<ls ascertained that the gutta-percha 
first goes to Sandakan and L;ibuan, in I'.ritish North Borneo, and is there tran.s- 
shipiKd to Singap re, entering as North Borneo gutta-percha. 

Unfortunately the amount collected for exportation can not be given with any 
degree of accuracy, as the export statistics (12) include gutta-percha with all 
other gums. It is known, however, that tli;- amount reaches into tens of thou- 
sands of pc^iiuads. 

v. r,AWS REGVI..\TNG COIJ.KCTIXG AM) SHlITINti. 

Considering the almost lawless way in which gutta-iiercha is collected and 
marketed, it is pertinent to review briefly the few steps t.iken towai'd legislating 
on the .subject. The English long ago realized that the gutta-ps-rcha iorests of 
the Malay Peninsula were doomed to destruction unless radical measiu'es were 
taken to change the method of collecting. The first law passed was to prohibit 
the felling of trees in order to collect the gutta-pt'rcha. As the law never 
penetrated to the wild tribes of the interior, where the collecting was done, it 
was not effective. As a surer mehtod of stopping the destruction, a second 
law was passed which prohibited the exportation of gutta-ptn"cha from coast 
towns in the Federated ]Malay States, in which the English could, of course, 
exercise personal supervision. The result was that the exportation from those 
places ceased promptl.v. but the felling of trees did not stop, the export simi)ly 
traveling northw;ird by overland routes until it was outside of English juris- 
diction, and from there it was ship])e(l to Singapore. 1 can not find that an.v- 
thing elfe<'tu;il ha^ been accomplished by rlii> English or by the Dutch anth irities 
in Sumatra and Borneo toward remedying the dirticult:^'. It seems to be gen- 
erally realized at last that wild natives can not be prohibited from doing things 
where there is no law nor show of authorit.v. 

Certainly they will nut cease felling gulla-percha trees tuitil som;> one can 
show them an easier method for collecting the same amount or more of the 
material, so long as gutta-percha has a market value. The English had the 
true idea when they took away its market value through prohibiting exporta- 
tion. The only trouble was that the Malay States are on a peninsula and not 
an island. This law. if applied to the Philippines, might succeed better by 
reason of their geographical situation, but so far nothing of this kind has been 
tried here. As seem as the forestry bureau was established, in 1809. the felling 
of gutta-percha trees was prohibited (1.';). Rtiles and regulations were pro- 
vided for tapping the bark of the tree with a bolo in such a manner as to allow 
the milk to be secured without killing the tree. As the amount of gutta percha 
obtained by this process was nuich less than that secured from felling the tree, 
while the labor was fully as great and was dangerous besides (some trees 
being TO feet to the first limb) the wild natives never practiced this method, 
uor did they ever hear of it, and all the gutta-percha so far exported has been 
at the expense of so many trees killed. 

Islands su<'h as Mindanao and Tawi-Tawi can not stand this for any length 
of time and already the gutta-percha trees have entirely disappeared from the 
vicinity of the coast regions and of the large rivers. According to the forest 
surveys made so far in the islands the average number of trees of 1 foot in 
diameter is between 40 and 50 per acre, and considering the large number of 



10 RUBBER-PEODUCING CAPACITY OP THE PHILIPPHSTE ISLANDS. 

fepecies found in the forests the number of trees of any one species is generally 
placed at four or five. With this liberal allowance the forest acreage of the 
southern islands will probably supply gutta-percha at the present rate of cutting 
tor three or four years longer, but not for more than that. 

It must not be supposed that scientific invesitgation has not been directed 
toward solving this vexed question of securing gutta-percha in paying quantities 
without killing the trees, but before describing the results of this work the 
chemical and physical characteristics of gutta-percha, as well as the prices to be 
realized for it, must be considered in order to demonstrate the difliculties to be 
overcome. 

VI. GRADES AND PRICES. 

The prices governing the sales of all grades and kinds of gutta-percha in 
Singapore, the chief market of the world, seem to be most arbitrary and uncer- 
tain. As a general thing they have increased continuously and steadily since 
the beginning of the industry. 

Formerly the different grades of gutta-percha were named from the well- 
known districts or shipping ports from which they came. An attempt was also 
made to designate the species of tree furnishiiig the product, and a further 
distinction was given as to quality. For instance, " Koatei guta merah No. 1 " 
was first grade of gutta-percha from Palaquhim untta, coming from Koatei, while 
" Fahang white soondi No. 1 " was first-grade gutta-percha from Paijena leerii, 
from the Pahang district. 

These names and gvadings are still kept up as a matter of convenience for 
cable codes, etc., but the significance of the names is almost entirely lost, cer- 
tainly as far as any indication of the tree species is concerned, and often as 
regards the district of production as well. The Philippine gutta-percha, for 
example, has neither grading nor price in Singapore, and probably comes in 
under Sarawak white, red, etc. 

As has been stated previously, the secrets governing the selection, boiling, 
adulteration, coloring, etc., of the various grades are closed and known to the 
Chinese exclusively. This is also true in the Philippines, though very little, 
except boiling and cleaning, is attempted before shipping to Sandakan. 

Most of the Philippine gutta-perclia passes through three hands, and the rise 
in price is quicJv and decided. My experiences in the gutta-percha districts of 
Mindanao and T<awi-Tawi were to the effect that the wild native collector had 
to take about what he could get, which was on an average of $10 Mexican for 
fi picul of 1624 poimds. Money was seldom paid, the usual thing being barter 
In rice, cloth, copper \\\vq, cheap jev/elry, beads, etc. It is needless to remark 
that the middleman realized a good profit on his merchandise. He in turn 
carried the gutta-percha to the export towns and sold it to the Chinese at the 
rate of .$40 to $80 Mexican per picul of 137* pounds. As this latter amount was 
the legal weight for a picul, his profits were increased by the additional pounds 
which he deliberately stole from the ignorant natives. The Chinese ex)>orter 
pays $5 to $7 ?dexican per picul forestry dues {he being the only one of the 
three with a fixed residence and amenable to forestry regulations) and exports 
the gutta-])ercha to Sandakan or Singapore, where it probably brings $100 to $150 
Mexican per picul of 138* pound^^. There is no definite information on this 
subject, however, as Philippine gutta-percha, as has been stated, is neither 
rated nor graded in Singapore. A year and a half ago. when the best grade of 
gutta-percha in the Pliilippines was said by the Chinese of Cottabato to be 
worth $80 i)er picul, the following analyses of Singapore gutta-perchas were 
made by Van Romburgh and Tromp de Haas (14 ) : 



Grade. 



Dirt. 



Water. 



Resins. Gutta. 



Price 

per 

picul.a 



' P. ct. 

Bila (red) soondi 33. 6 

Sarawak soondi No. 2 • 37. 1 

Penang gutta Palelo Xo. 1 2.1 

Sarawak red soondi No. 1 19. 

Bagan white soondi No. 1 .7 

Koatei guta merah No. 2 21. 7 

Indragiri wliite soondi 2.0 

Sambas white soondi 1. 

Koatei guta merah No. 1 14. 8 

Pahang white soondi No. 1 1 4. 2 



P. ct. 
7.0 
(5.8 
.5.8 
3.9 
8.6 
5.1 
4.1 
4.4 
3.8 
.5 



P. Ct. 
31.4 
25.5 
53.8 
35.5 
36.5 
28.5 
46.2 
53.6 
34.8 
12. 8 



P.ct. 
28.0 
29.6 
38.3 
41.6 
54.2 
44.7 
47.7 
41.0 
46.fi 
82.5 



S150 
135 
]80 
350 
350 
360 
370 
380 
500 
500 



a Mexican currency. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 11 

According to thesL' analyses the best ;j;rrt(les ot I'hilippine gutta-peroha may 
well rank with any of the first lonr on the list, especially as my chemical and 
physical tests show the high grade of the gntta in them. 

Another example of the didiculty in dealing with the Chinese gntta-percha 
merchants in Singapore is the experience of an American merchant of Manila, 
who. abont this time, took a considerable quantity of the best grade of gutta- 
percha from .Afindanao over to Singapore by way of speculation. . He was only 
offered .$8 per picul by the leading merchants there, and it was not until they 
found out he was not anxious to sell at all, but would ship the product to 
America, that they tinally closed with him at $70 per picul. How much the 
gntta-percha was really worth he never found out. 

The evidence, then, all goes to show that the price of Philippine gutta-percha 
jumps from abont .$8 a picul in tlie mountains, where it is gathered by the 
wild tribes, to .'?1.50 in Singapore. Thus the native collectors get almost 
nothing, the government about as much, and the Chinese the rest. The Chinese 
might possibly get even higher prices by exporting direct to London or America, 
though apparently that has not yet been tried. 

It is stated on good authority that llie Chinese in all their manipulations 
for preparing the gutta-perc-ha for the Enroi)ean market go solely by smell, 
color, toughness, and the softening and hardening test in hot. then cold water. 

At any rate they ai-e certainly very skillful in the work, although careful 
ins])ection of the above table, as Van Kombnrgh points out. would tend to show 
that their prices were not at all AMirranted by the analyses. So long as the 
collecting of tlie gutta-percha is all in the hands of wild natives and the 
manipulating and marketing controlled by the Chinese, we can not hope to 
have the gutta-i)ercha trade on a fair business basis. However, as the supply 
steadily decreases while the demand and prices increase, the attention of 
governments and mannfacturL'rs will more than ever before be directed to the 
subject and perhaps the hoped-for relief will come through scientific propaga- 
tion of gutta-pei'cha trees and scientific collecting of the gutta-percha. 

Vn. ( IlKM UAI. I'KoeKKTILS. 

A chemical examination of the milk or latex above referred to as cmiing t'vom 
the gutta-percha trees upon wounding the bark shows it to be comixised of an 
emulsion of water and oil in a finely divided state. According to the species of 
tree the v\ater -(aries from a small (best species) to a very large percentage 
(poor species). A drop of the milk caught on tJie fingei' undergoes no api^' 'ent 
change for a few minnte.s. but by the end of this time a thin rubbery s.um can 
be observed to have foimed on the surface. If this be ren)oved. a second film 
will form, and so on until the entire drop has become a small piece of a 
tough, leathery substance. When a fresh drop is worked between the fingers 
the hardening process or coagulation takes place very ciuickly. and by boiling or 
adding certain chemicals, such as mineral or vegetable acids, alum. salt, etc., 
it takes place almost instantaneously. AVhat the nature of this hardening 
process is apipears to be unknown. The subject will be investigated in this 
laboratory. 

.Vfter coagulation sets in (see below), the oily portion becimies hard and 
tough, while most of the water separates or is inclosed mechanicall.v. Subject- 
ing this hard and tough mass, taken, for example, from the Palaqnluiii (lutta 
species, to further examination, it pi'oves to be insoluable in water and very 
stable against the action of either dilute acids or alkalies. In chloroform or 
carbon bisulphide it is easily soluble, while ether, petroleum ether, and alcohol 
dissolve it only in part. By subjecting it to the action of cold alcohol, a yellow 
amorphous resinous i>i)wder can b(> extracted. Hot alcohol further extracts a 
white crystalline resin, leaving a tough, horn-like residue, which is easily 
soluble in chloroform and carbon bisulphide and can be precipitated from these 
solutions by alcohol as a white fiocculent mass, which by warming or through 
pressure (juicklv returns to its original ai)ijearance. Taking the three con- 
stituents of gutta-percha in the order described above, the names lluavil, 
alban, and gntta were given them by Payen (15) in 1852. Besides these con- 
.stituents. all gutta-percha was found to contain more or less dirt, coloring mat- 
ter, and water inclosed medianicallv. 



12 EUBBER-PRODUCIKG CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

Taule No. 2. — Anoiuscs of representative samples of gutta-percha from Singa- 
pore and Philippine markets, as icell as from different species of gutta-percha 
trees, to show composition and comparison. 



Source of .specimen. 


Appearance. 


Gutta. 
Per rt. 


Resins. 


Water. 


Dirt. 


Grade. 






Per ct. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. 




1. Collected from Pal. gutta 


Close, compact, 


74.77 


20.74 


2.49 


1.99 


Superior, but 


trees in experiment gar- 


tough, whitish to 










not onSing- 


den, Buitenzorg, Java. 


pink and brown. 










iipore mar- 
ket. 


•2. Sample analysis of pro- 


^ 


85. 1.5 


11.02 


2. US 


1.75 


Do. 


duct of Pal. gutta made 














by ^'an Romburgh. 














3. Product from two trees of 


White, somewhat 


48.19 


41.38 


6.59 


2.05 


Superior in 


Pal. leerii, Tawi-Tawi. 


elastic, very tough. 










4^ h i 1 i p- 

phies." 
Fir.n,. 


. 4. Product from tree of Pal. 


Somewhat tough. 


38.42 


49. 08 


9.76 


2.72 


raindan.icnse; in moun- 


white, pinkish, and 












tains southeast of Cotta- 


brown. 












bato. 














h. Brought into Cottabato by 


Clean pinkish lialls; 


:a. 49 


54. 08 


7.61 


5.76 


l>o. 


Moros from Subano 


tough. 












region, northwest of 














Tucuran. 














fi. Purchased from Moros at 


Tough, compact slab. 


28.37 


37.42 


18.32 


15. 83 


Second. 


Bongao. 














7. Product from tree of Pal. 


Inclined to crumble; 


31.10 


51.86 


.04 


16.79 


D.i. 


celebicum; in moun- 


white to brownish. 












tains southeast of Cot- 














tabato. 














8. Brought into Cottabato by 


Long coils on i)iece of 


30.20 


.57.40 


7.80 


4.60 


Do. 


Moros from Binang 


bamboo; dirty and 












region; botanical 


dark colored. 












origin unknown. 














9. Product from unknown 


Dark brown, hard, 


23.64 


53. 99 


13.87 


8.48 


Third. 


species in mountains 


and crumbling. 












southeast of Cottabato. 














10. Product from Pal. aher- 


Heavy compact mass. 


24. 55 


43. 21 


15.19 


17.04 


Fourth. 


nianum: in mountains 


crumbling easily ; 












north of Tucuran, Min- 


light reddish 












danao. 


brown. 













"The grading of the Philippine gutta-percha is done by the Chinese exporters. 

T!i(> iiietliod adopted for making the above analyses is a modification of those 
usetl by Obach (16) and Van Romburgh. The former determined first the per 
cent of water by drying a weighed sample to constant weight on a water bath 
or desiccator, determining the water by difference. The resins were then ex- 
tracted with ether and weighed after the solvent had been completely evapo- 
rated. The gutta and dirt were thus left and were separated by chloroform, 
which dissolved the gutta, leaving the dirt to be filtered, dried, and weighed. 
The chloroform was then evai)orated and the gutta weighed. 

Van Romburgh (17) in his latest analytical work uses the following scheme: 
The weighed aud finely divided substance is dried to constant weight in an 
atmosphere of dry carbondioxide gas. which fulfills the double purpose of dry- 
ing and at the same time preventing oxidation. The sample is then dissolved 
in hot chloroform, thus allowing the undissolved dirt to be filtered off, washed, 
dried, and weighed. The chloroform solution containing the gutta and resins 
is diluted with chloroform to 100 c. c. and an aliquot portion taken, evaporated, 
and dried to constant weight as above. By extracting the residue with hot 
alcohol or acetone the resins are removed, when the remaining gutta is dried 
and weighed. The resins are then estimated by difference. Van Romburgh 
points out that the largest source of error in using this method is due to the 
evaporation of the chloroform. To avoid this loss and save time the following 
modifi('ati(ms were adopted by me: 



.\ fair sample of the gutta-percha to be analyzed was finely divided and 
quartered down to a small amount. Of this 0.3 to 0.5 gram was taken in a 
weighed thimble filter aud extracted hot in a Soxhlett apparatus, chloroform 
being u.sed as the solvent. When all was dissolved but the dirt, the latter was 
dried on the filter and weighed. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 13 

UESIXS AND GUTTA. 

The chlorofonii solution is then evaporated to dryness in the llask (previously 
tared) attached to the extractor and dried to coustaut weight uu t!ie water 
bath in a stream of dry carbon dioxide gas. After weighing, the contents are 
extracted with li-t alowh<.l or acetone, when the llask is again dried as before 
and weighed. The loss in weight equals the weight of resins and gain of the 
flask the weight of gutta. The water is estimated by difference. 

Analyses of samples taken from several trees of one species show the per- 
centages of the constituents to vary considerably, they being influenced, prob- 
ably, by the age of the tree, the coaiditions of its growth (soil, moisture, shade, 
etc.), as well as by the season at which the sample is taken. For illustration 
of this, two analyses of gutta-percha known to have been taken from different 
trees of I'alaqitiuin gutta are given to show the large variation in the percent- 
age of gutta. It must, therefore, be understood that the figures obtained from 
the analyses of the gutta-i)ercha taken from any one tree will not necessarily 
represent the exact values for that species. An average from a number of 
trees is necessary to S(>cure true values. In the same way samples from any 
commercial grade of gutta-percha may vary quite a little in their percentage 
composition, the differences, however, generally falling within a well-defined 
limit. 

The " dirt " found in all commercial gutta-percha, as has been stated, may be 
there unintentionally, or have been added with intent to defraud. In either 
case it generally t-onsisls of finely chopped bark, leaves, small sticks, etc From 
2 to G per cent of dirt is not only admissible, but generally unavoidal)le. while 
more than that is looked upon with suspicion. So intimately is some of the 
dirt mixed with the gutta-percha that even the best machines fail to eliminate 
the last 1 or 2 i)er cent. 

A certain amount ol' coloring matter which exudes from the bark when it is 
cut is also mixed with the gutta-percha milk and colors the resulting product. 
Certain si)ecies give a distinctive color to the material taken from them, fu it 
has become a practice of the Chinese in Singapore to boil inferior j^t-.-id'-s with 
the bark of the best species in order to give them the correct c^lor. 

Under "resins" are considered the resinous-like f;ul)stances which with 
gutta go to form the substance gutta-percha. These resins var.\ givatly in 
appearance. In gutta-percha from ralaquiinii (/lit to. for example, as has already 
been stated, one is a white crystalline mass while the other is a yellow amorphous 
powder. In 'ither species they may be oily or brittle, colored or whit(>. Judg- 
ing from the formulas Cj„ll„;() and (Ci„lIicJnx. which have been given to alban 
and tluavil, respect ivel.v. it might be interred that these resins are oxidation of 
pi'oducts of gutta (C,„Il,,,)x. Sufficient work has not yet Iteen done on these 
itodies. however, to make this anything more than conjecture. 

Again, taking the gutta-percha from Palafiiihiin ijiittu. for illustration, it is 
found that the 10 to 20 per cent of resins which it contains is not a detriment, 
l)Ut rather a decided advantage. Besides adding much to the bulk, these sub- 
stances are insoluble in water, poor conductors of electricity, and quite stable 
against the action of air and moisture. In fact, gutta-percha at present pre- 
pared for the insulation of submarine cables is composed of one part of resins 
to every two parts of gutta. When the amount of resin passes this percentage, 
however, the toughness of the gutta-percha is lessened and other ob.i'ectionable 
<iualities become ai)i)arent. The necessity, then, of knowing the percentage of 
resin in a given (lualit.v of gutta-percha IxMore using it for manufacturing pur- 
poses is plainly apparent. 

As might be inferred from the preceding, the " gutta " is the principal con- 
stituent in gutta-percha. The methods of separating it from the other con- 
stituents have been given and its indiffei-ence tow.-ird dilute acids and alkalies 
noted. Concentrated nitric acid causes violent oxidation, while sulphxu'ic acid 
carbonizes it in a short time. Alkalies, even when concentrated, have prac- 
ticall.v no action on it. The i)est solvents for gutta are chloroform, carbon 
l)isulplu(l(', and carbon tetrachloride. From all of these solutions it may be 
reprecipi fated b.v the addition of alcohol. 

If gutta be subjected to dry distillation isopren, CoIIv and kautchin, CioHjo, 
(18) distill over as the chief decomposition products, and are identical with 
the isopren and kautchin (19) recovered from the dry distillation of rubber. 
Tilden (20) succeeded in changing isopren back again into a rubber-like sub- 
stance through the action of concentrated h.ydroehloric acid. Isopren. accord- 



14 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILirP'.Is^ E ISLANDS. 

iug to Ipatiow ami Witiovi (21). is methly divinyl, C1L=C( C.H3) — CH=CH,, 
so that both giitta and iT;bber will perhaps be found to be polimerization prod- 
ucts of isopreu. 

The discussion has so far been of the gutta found in the species Palaqiiinm 
ffutta. Dr. Eugene Obach (22), as chemist for a- large cable insulating com- 
pany, made analyses of specimens of gutta-percha from different species of 
trees, as well as from many grades of commerciul gutta-percha. In his table 
of analyses he puts under the name of " gutta " the snl>stance. found in each 
sample, which was insoluble in boiling alcohol but soluble in chloroform. The 
" guttas " thus found were variously coloi'ed from white to dark brown and 
possessed different tensile strength, from "elastic" and "very strong" to 
"brittle." Obach thus used certain slight chemical similarities as his criterion 
of !! aitta. and neglected, apparently, the wide pliysical differences, which, as 
will be shown lat;n", these bodies display. Provided there are many kinds of 
guttas, it is easily understood why a chemical analysis alone of a gutta-percha 
will give almost no insight into its value unless accompanied by physical tests 
of the gutt.i contained in it. 

VIII. PHYSICAL TESTS OF GUTTA. 

Before going further with the discussion as to whether chemical or physical 
tests should decide what is or is not " gutta," attention is called to the various 
physical properties of tliese bodies. To provide material for these physical 
tests, they wei'e isolated in considerable quantities from various representative 
Singapore and Philippine gutta-perchas by means of solvents, and after evapora- 
tion were dried in a stream of dry carbondioxide gas to pi'event any possible 
oxidation. When heated to the temperature of boiling water they could be 
easily cut or molded into the necessary shape for performing the following 
experiments : 







Action toward light. 


Heat, 
soft- 
ening 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 


Stress, 

tensile 

strength 

(pounds). 


Gutta. 


Color. 


Refractive 
index. 


Rotation 
in 0.5 per 

cent 
solution. 


No. 1 


Light brown 


70° a 

1.5093 
1. 5088 
1. .5089 
1. 5093 
1. 5076 


6.75 
6.50 
7. .50 
6.50 
4.75 


°a 

62 
60 
61 
61 
56 


Sq, inch. 
5, 262. 4 
6, 668. 15 


No. 3 


Cream white 


No. 4 




5, 134. 7 


No. 5 


Very light chocolate 

Cream white. . . 


6, 451. 45 

(a) 


No. 10 









"Brittle. (The numbers in this table refer to Table No. 2.) 



EXPLANATION OF TABLE.' 



The " color " of the guttas undoubtedly comes from the bark of the tree when 
cut to secure the gutta-percha, for. by repeated solution and precipitation the 
color may be almost entirely eliminated, leaving the gutta only slightly tinted 
from a cream color to light pink and pure white when finely divided. It is my 
opinion that all variations of color are only incidental and not connected with 
the chemical structure of the gutta itself. The amount of color in the above 
samples was a minimum and not sufficient to have any material eft'ect on the 
physical properties. The experiments with light, namely, those given under 
refractive index and rotation, are employed with great success in the commercial 
analysis of sugars, oils, fats, butters, etc. This is due to the fact that each 
chemical individual, providing it is capable of transmitting light, has an index 
of refraction peculiar to itself, which, for purposes of comparison, must be 
taken under constant conditions and, provided it is able to rotate the plane of 
polarized light, a degree of rotation which is also constant. 



«The results given in this table and some of the explanations appeared in 
the previous annual report of the superintendent of government laboratoriesj 
but as subsequent experience and the completion of botanical data have led me to 
take up the subject from a different standpoint, they are again appended for the 
sake of completeness. 



EUBBER-PRODUCIKG CAPxVCITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 15 

While two fbcinical individuals may show identity in some one physical 
property, tliey can not continue this identity in tw<i or more, so that more than 
one method was necessary to determine the relationship of the guttas examined 
by me. Substitution, adulteration, or variation in chemical structure can in 
this way be easily discovi>red and determined. Owing to certain mechanical and 
chemical difliculties encountered in making these determinations on the guttas, 
the limits of error of experimentation are outside of the differences found 
between Nos. 1, 8. 4, and 5, but do not include the marked difference displayed 
by No. 10. In determining the refractive index an Abhe-Zeiss refi-actonieter 
was employed and a small amount of a concentrated solution of pure gutta in 
chloroform placed on each of the prisms and allowed to stand until the odor of 
chloroform had entirely disappeared. Tha prisms were then closed, and kept at 
a temperature of 70° C. until the readings became constant, showing that all 
chl(ji-oform had evap(tr;it(Hl. The above figures are the results of many deter- 
miualiims made with carefully prepared samples. 

The rotation was detei'mined in chloroform, 0.5 per cent solution being used, 
because when more concentrated the absorption of light was too great to admit 
of accurate readings. 

The physical tests given in the above tables are so diversified as to bring 
out clearly the extent of resemblance between the various samples of gutta 
submitted to them. The results show little variation betwe<'n Nos. 1, .S, 4, 
and 5. Indeed, these samples may be regarded as practically identical in 
composition. The physical c(jnstauts appear to be those of a single chemical 
individual, the refractive index varies only in the third decimal place, the 
rotatinn is the same within the limits of ony 1°, and the softening points vary 
only from <>0° to (>2°. The small amount of resins in the specimens, which 
it was impossible to remove, would be suilicient to accomit for even greater 
varinti(ms. No. 1. however, is the best sample, used for a standard and taken 
from l)icJioi)sis ant fa: Nos. .'!, 4, and 5 are from the Philipi)ine Islands. It 
would appear from this that gutta is a chemical individual, identical in all 
cases, and any substance, such as No. 10, for example, which varies irom the 
properties recorded above should not be designated as such. This ojiinion is, 
hov.evor, advanced subject to further confirmation by extended chemical in- 
vestigation looking toward the determination of the chemical constitution of 
gutta. In tlie case of sample No. 10 the substance designated as gutta and 
the real gutta of No. S are very similar in appearance and chemical behavior. 
In tensile strength, however, they are widely divergent, and this difference is 
accentuated and not lessened by the other physical tests; for while these latter 
differences are not so marked, yet they clearly show that all the physical 
constants of No. 10 differ more or less from all the otliers, and hence this 
substance must certainly be different in chemical constitution. 

The action of heat in softening gutta-percha and nuiking it plastic has 
previously been used as a test of value. It has bee'n found that the best grades 
require a higher temperature to soften them than the lower grades. Accord- 
ing to the results obtained by me, the inferior grade of gutta (No. 10) also 
possesses the property of softening at a lower temperature than the superior 
gutta. The softening point was detennined by molding a piece of gutta into 
the bottom of a glass tube sealed below, placing a sharp-pointed glass rod in 
contact with the surface, and gradually heating in a bath of sulphuric acid 
until the point of the glass rod just began to enter the gutta. 

The tensile strength, or toughneas, possessed by gutta, next to its resistance 
to sea water, is undoubtedly its greatest merit commercially. Even the inferior 
grades of gutta-percha are used for objects requiring toughness combined with 
pliability and strength. In the insulation of a submarine cable great toughness 
is imperative, for during the laying of the cable it is constantly subjected to 
great strains from kinking, pulling, rubbing, etc., and when it has reached to 
the ocean bottom, where the pressure is often 8^ tons to the square inch, it 
must not have sustained a fracture even as large as the diameter of a fine 
hair, for otherwise the moisture would slowly penetrate to the wires, the 
insulation would not be complete, and the cable would have to be pulled up and 
repaired. 

In order that the measurements made might be within the limits of the 
instruments at hand, only small strands of gutta could be used for testin,5. 
To make these strands free from minute air bubbles was well-nigh impossible, 
in consequence of which the breaking was in most cases brought about by 
weakness due to this source. The figures, while thus only approximate, are 
below and not above the true values and show clearly the enormous tensile 



16 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

strength of my samples. Obach (23) gives a tensile strength of 5,000 poundf- 
for the iiost gutta-percha, while for the gutta from it he found about 6,500, 
which closely corresponds to results given above. This also brings out most 
clearly the excellent quality of the best Philippine gutta-percha. 

The results of the combined chemical and physical tests on various samples 
of so-called " guttas " extracted from gutta-perchas of different origin seem 
to show that the gutta from the gutta-percha of Palaqiiium f/utta has certain 
well-defined chemical and physical properties, and they also demonstrate that 
some so-called gutta-perchas contain a substance which chemically resembles 
to a certain extent the above-mentioned guttas, but differs widely from it in 
many of its physical properties. As the gutta from the species Palaquium 
guff a has stood the test of usage for fifty years, it is only fair that its chemical 
and physical constants should be used as the standard of comparison. Until 
more is known chemically of such substances as I found in No. 10, a chemical 
analysis will not be sufflcient to determine the value of a gutta-percha, but it 
must be supplemented by physical tests. This laboratory will undertake the 
task of so determining the chemical properties of gutta and its allied bodies 
in the hope of discovering a method of chemical analysis which alone can be 
used to determhie the value of any gutta-percha. 

IX. SCIENTIFIC PitOPAGATION. 

As sodH as the native collectors made such heavy inroads on gatta-percha 
forests ns to make ceiitain of their serious deciuiation. if not entire destruction, 
the various governments having tropical possessions in the East began to take 
note and make inquiries, but it aaj's not until the last four or five years that 
the notes became serious or the inquiries anxious. Both explorations and 
inquiries revealed that the greater part of the Malay Peninsula had lost most 
of its trees, and that the portions of Sumatra and Borneo v.hieh were still 
productive were in the most inaccessible mountain forests of the interior. So 
thoroughly had the seed-bearing trees been cleared out of tlie ^lalay State 
that a standing reward by government officials for seeds of the species Pala- 
quium [Vitia was not claimed, though the offer stood for a long time. Van 
Romburgli (24) in a very extensive tour of Sumatra and Borneo, made tuv the 
purpose of reporting to the Dutch Government the condition of tlie gutta-percha 
regions, saw but a few seedbearing trees, and these in almost all cases had been 
protected by native chiefs. 

In the botanical gardens of Singapore, Bukit, Tlniah, Penang, and Buiten- 
zorg, Palaquium gutta trees were growing which had either been protected from 
destruction or had been planted for a sufficient length of time to be seed bearing. 
These formed the nucleus of the gutta-percha nurseries now being planted by 
the English and Dutch Governments, with the purpose of obtaining reliable 
information as to methods of propagation, the rapidity of growth, the time 
necessary for maturing, and above all to furnish material for testing scientific 
methods for extracting gutta-percha without killing the trees. Owing to the 
scarcity of seeds everywhere the government botanists were obliged to resort to 
various methods for securing young plants, and their experiments have been 
along the following lines : 

(a) PLANTING FROM SEEDS. 

The fresh seeds are laid in beds of rich earth and allowed to germinate 
and grow under partial shade. When about a foot high they are trans- 
planted to the future plantation, where the soil may be entirely free from trees, 
shrubs, or other vegetation (Dutch method) or where small patches of earth 
have been cleaned and loosened for their reception in a forest of secondary 
growth, heavy enough only to furnish a light shade (English method). By the 
butch method a light shade is required around each seedling until a vigorous 
growth is secured. The seedlings are set out about 5 by 5 yards apart, though 
where it is desired to obtain the largest amount of leaves per acre the space 
allotted is 4 by 4 yards. No special care seems necessary except to keep them 
free from weeds. Too much stress, however, can not be laid on the care which 
should be taken not to break or Injure the long taproot of the young plant 
during the process of transplanting, for any injury to it stunts the growth 
materially or even causes death. Mr, Curtis, director of the Penang Botanical 
Gardens, has modified the manner of starting the germination and first growth, 
by placing each seed in a sepai'ate bamboo joint filled with earth. This joint 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 17 

is iiijide lon;^ enough to allow the taproot to strike downward undisturbed, 
and when the time comes for transplanting it can be transferred, joint and all, 
without any fear of injury, to the plaee made ready for it. The bamboo is 
then cracked open and the plant inserted in the ground with almost no dis- 
turbance of Its roots. 

The Dutch Government in Java, having many seed-bearing trees, is now deeply 
engaged in carrying out a progrannne which contemplates the planting of 
some 150,000 seeds annually until at least 1,000,000 trees are growing. This will 
be done on extensive Government plantations at Tjipitir, Java. The entire 
management is intrusted to Doctor \nn Komburgh. director of the Government 
(•heniical laboratory at Buitenzorg. who has a corps of assistants intrusted with 
testing the gntta-percha contained in the sced-priHlucing trees in order that 
none but the best stock may be used. 

(b) rLANTINC; FUDM .SKI.I'-CKOWN SKKDI.I N»iS. 

In the forests both of Sumatra and Borneo the natives are still able to find 
comparativ(>ly large numl)ers of self-grown seedlings of the Paluquium (jutta 
species. These, when carefully taken up and transplanted into air-tight boxes 
provided with glass covers and rich« earth, can be packed in large numbers 
in a comparatively small space and shipped to almost any desired distance. 
For instance, (i0,(l()(t such seedlings were sliipped two years ago from southern 
Borneo to the French Kongo via Antwerp. The plants transported from 
Borneo to Singapore in this manner are doing well in the gardens at the latter 
place. The German Government is i)lanning a nursery of such seedlings iu 
its tropical jiossesslons in New (Juinea. 

(C) rKOPAGATlUN BV .MKANS HF M Al!('()TTA<;r.. 

As neither direct slipping nor grafting has ever succeeded with gutta-percha 
trees, the method called marcottage was tried in Java and the Malay States 
with some success. This consists in selecting a young straight limb from a 
large tree and at the point where the roots are to grow the bark is removed 
for the length of an inch around the entire limb. The denuded spot is then 
packed with rich mud, which is held in by a coating of cocoannt or other fiber. 
(See fig. 2.">.) If the mud is kept moist, and only if this is the case can good 
results be secured, small roots will generally api)ear in three to nine months, 
when the limb can be cut off and planted. 

The principal gntta-percha plantations now under cultivation and in which 
nmch useful and desired experimenting is being done are located at Tjipitir 
and Buitenzorg in Java, on Rhio Island at Singapore and Bukit Timah on 
Singajtore Island, on I'enang Island, and at one or two places in the Federated 
Malay States. Enough time and work have been spent to demonstrate most 
conclusively that gntta-percha trees can be raised not only successfnlly. but 
also without much troulile or great outlay of money, and all the nations having 
tropical possessions in the East, except the United States, have made a start 
toward gutta-percha plantations, but the Dutch are the only ones so far who 
have gone into it on a grand scale, and unless appearances are deceitful they 
will have a monopoly on the plantations of the gutta-percha of the future as 
sure as they have on the forest gutta-percha of the present day. 

X. SCIENTIFIC METHODS OF COLLECTING. 

Modern methods of collecting gutta-percha have advanced along two lines. 
Needless to say they were not proposed nor carried out by the wild native 
collectors, who are unwilling to discontinue present gains iu favor of future 
returns. It was previously remarked that the gutta-percha is all contained in 
the bark of the tree and in the leaves. The problem resolved itself into 
either — 

(a) Extracting some of the gutta-percha from the bark and leaves without 
injuring the tree, or 

(h) Felling the ti-ee and securing the gutta-percha from all of the bark and 
leaves. 

To carry out the first proposition a method was devised similar to that used 
in South America for extracting rubber milk, by which incisions were made iu 
the bark in a slanting direction up and down the trunk (see fig. 27), so cut that 
the gutta-percha ducts were opened, but no injury done to the inside wood of 

S. Doc. 356, 59-2 2 



18 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

tlie tree. The milk flowed out to a greater or less extent and coagulated in 
strings on the bark. After the flow had ceased and complete coagulation had 
set in (one day) the strings of gutta-percha were pulled off by hand, washed in 
hot water, and pressed into cakes. The advantage of this method was that no 
injury was done the tree, although it was tapped repeatedly. (See fig. 29.) 
The disadvantage lay in the fact that only a small per cent of the total gutta- 
percha in the tree could be extracted at any one time. According to Van 
Romburgh's (25) latest experiments with piantation trees (Palaquium gutta) 
about 15 to 17 years old, the yield was 100 grams (nearly one-fifth of a pound) 
per tree. The gutta-percha thus secured was of the very best. 

In addition to the amount thus taken the leaves both from the living and 
dead trees contain 8 to 10 per cent by weight of gutta-percha calculated to the 
dry leaf. To extract this gutta-percha two processes have beeu devised : 

(1) The mechanical one, in which the leaf is ground to a powder and then 
treated with hot water in such a way that the gutta-percha is gradually worked 
into a compact mass, while the pulp of the leaf is washed away. Up to the 
pi'esent the process has not been perfected, for although the gutta-percha con- 
tained is of a good quality the percentage of recovery is smaller than it 
should be. The largest factory of this kind is being erected near Singapore, 
and it proposes to use the leaves from a plantation of 100,000 trees on the 
island of Khio, some five hours from Singapore. 

(2) The chemical process is carried out on the same lines as the mechanical 
one so far as the grinding of the leaves is concerned. The powder is then 
extracted with solvents and the dissolved gutta-percha recovered either through 
precipitation or through evaporation of the solvent. The details of the proc- 
ess, as well as the solvents used, are kept secret and no patents for this or the 
mechanical process have been taken out. 

The largest factory producing gutta-percha for the market is located at 
Sarawak, north Borneo, and is very advantageously situated as regards secur- 
ing leaves from the surrounding gutta-percha forests. It has been claimed, 
however, that the lactorv defeated its avov\ed object of preventing the destruc- 
tion of the trees, for the native collectors employed would never risk their 
lives trying to collect leaves from forest trees over 100 feet high when they 
could gather them much easier by felling the tree and collecting a goodly 
amount of gutta-percha In addition. It thus appears that the supply of leaves 
must come from a plantation where supervision can be exercised. 

The plan of felling the gutta-percha trees of the forest and securing all of 
the material from the bark and leaves is worthy of serious consideration. In 
the first place, the trees are surely doomed as long as present conditions obtain. 
If the native can sell the entire bark and leaves for more than he could get for 
the gutta-percha which he could extract, he will be tempted to bring them in. 
A second inducement for this method is the fact that many gutta-percha trees 
cut down even years previously have still much perfectly sound gutta-percha 
in the rotting bark, which could also be secured. The process of recovering the 
substance from the bark is practically the same as from the leaves, and about 
the same per cent is found there as well. With a yield of from ten to fifteen 
times the present amount recovered fi-om each tree the gutta-percha market 
would be relieved at once and the extermination of the trees put off many 
years, long enough at any rate to allow plantation trees to take their place. 

A large amount of work has been done in this laboratory with the purpose of 
finding a practical method for extracting the gutta-percha from the bark and 
leaves of the gutta-percha trees. The process calls for a solvent for the gutta- 
percha which will dissolve it easily, can be recovered and again used, and above 
all has no deleterious effects on the substance. 

The result of the experimentation led to a modification of the Obach (26) 
hardening . method for gutta-percha. The process consists in extracting the 
gutta-percha bark and leaves by means of hot gasoline, the apparatus being 
provided with reflux condensers. While the gutta-percha has entirely dissolved, 
the solution is allowed to stand until all of the dirt and most of the coloring 
matter has settled. The clear supernatent liquid is then poured off and cooled 
to 10° or 15° below freezing. The gutta, with a small amount of resin, is 
therel-y precipitated and can be filtered oft' through cloth bags and dried. The 
resulting gutta can be further purified by redissolving in distilled gasoline and 
reprecipitating. "The filtrate containing the dissolved resins is redistilled and 
the recovered gasoline used for effecting further solution of gutta-percha, thus 
making the process continuous. 



EUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 19 

The sutta so secured, on beiiii: wanned, can be pressed into any desired 
fnnn for experimentation. Tlie ijntta used in the aV)ove experiments was so 
prepared, and tlie results of the jili.vsieal and chemical tests showed it to be 
unaffected I).v the jirocess to any appreciable extent. A year's exposure to 
labrti-atory fumes has not changed th(^ substance in any way. 'I'lie accompany- 
iuLT fi.ixure (No. :'>0) sliows some of pressed cakes i)repared in th(> laboratory. 

It is to be noted that the ]irocess fiives practically pure gutta and not j;utta- 
l)ercha. the resins remainiu'jc dissolved in the ,u;asoline. This is in itself a 
iireat advantajie. as the gutta could be used directly for bringing up the per- 
centage in inferior grades of gutta-percha, and so make them suitable for 
cable insulation. The conunercial value of this gntta has not been determined, 
but should be rated at about $t'»00 Mexican per picul. judging from the price 
of the bi'st gutta-percha. In this way three i)iculs of Philipi)ine gutta-percha 
.-It $210 Mexican will i)r(KhK(> 1 ])i<ul of pure gutta valued at $G00 Mexican, 
or a gain of $:>!»() for every .". pi;ii]s of gutta-percha (or the equivalent in 
bark and leaves) handled. 

XI. PESTS .VXD r.VKASri'ES. 

An instructive lailletin has been issued by Doctor Zimmerman (27) of the 
"s Lands Planlcntuin at P.uitenzorg. Java. His field of observation covered 
the large experimental gardens of Buitenzorg and at T.iipitir. where many 
thousands of gutta-percha trees of various species are now growing. While 
the sanu' conilitions do not obtain there as are encountered in the forest, it 
is certain that they are as badly if nnt worse off on accoimt of the multitude 
of insects of all kinds which are attracted by the other plants of the gardens. 
In fact, he considers the test a severe one. and his conclusions that there are 
pi'acticaliy no inset-t pests which might be considered dangerous is very 
gratifying. Cattle and goats eat the leaves greedil.v. and young trees must 
therefon^ be i)rotected until high enough to be out of reach. 



Taut II. 
RUBBER. 

I. HISTORICAL AMI DESCRIPTIVE. 

Even the shortest outline presenting the subject of rubber in its historical, 
geographical, botanical, and commercial aspects would be be.vond the scope 
of this re])ort, nor does the part which the Philippines have taken in its pro- 
duction or are likely to take for several years to come, warrant anything more 
than a brief explanation of the present state of the rubber industry, in (U'der 
to better understand the present conditions here and the possibilit.v of these 
islands becoming a new center of the ever-increasing rubber industry. 

Rubber, or india rubber, as it seems best known in the T'nited States, was 
discovered by the Si)aniards in the second voyage of Columbus. The Indians 
of Haiti were found jdaying with rubber balls which they said were formed 
from the hanleued milk of certain forest trees on the island. In 1755 Dom 
.lose, King of Portugal, sent several pairs of his boots to South America to be 
coated with rubl)er milk. They must have been made satisfactorily water- 
jiroof. for the rubber industry has increased from that dny to this. 

Not alone was the valley of the Amazon found stocked with rubbei- trees 
and vines, but new species were discovered in Central America and ISIexico as 
well. In 1798 rubber-producing vines and trees were encountered in southern 
.\sia. later on in Central Africa, and by the middle of the nineteenth century 
almost evcn-y tropical country of the world had been searched, and the st^arch 
had not been in vain. 

The number of genera and species — even the families re])resenting the rub- 
l)er plants — is very large, especially because the production is not confined 
to trees alone nor to any one coimtry. as is the case with gutta-percha, but 
includes a large number of vines as well, and its area of producti(m is practi- 
cally that of the tropical world. While rubber trees predominate in tropical 
imeriea. Africa and Asia apparently draw their greatest supply from vines. 
Borneo especially is rich in them to the exclusion of trees. Tlie Philippines 
vere said to contain more trees than vines, but s.vstematic search has so far 
evealed oulv vines. 



20 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

Not iiutil the middle ot the hist century were the iiuinifohl uses to which 
rubber could be applied well understood and the rubber industry thoroughly 
established. Statistics show that London imported in 1830 some 40,400 pounds 
of rubber, and by ISTO this had increased to the enormous amount of 15,211,800 
pounds for that one .■s'ear alone. Since then the consumption has steadily in.- 
creased, the statistics reading by tons and not pounds, and for l'.)02 amounted 
to some 62,(550 long tons. London, the former chief center of the rubber trade, 
has retired in favor of New York. While tropical America in the beginning: 
produced nine-tenths of the rubber supply, it now exports but very little more 
than one-half of the total auioimt, India, Burmah, Borneo, and Central Africa 
especially having made giant strides in rubber production. Last year's pro- 
duction for the Malay States. Java, and Borneo was about 1,000 tons. In this 
was included the amount exported from the Philippines. How much that 
amount was there is no way of finding out, nor for how long this exportation 
of rubber has been going on. My investigations in the southern islands con- 
vinced me that wliatever collecting and exporting has been done concerns the 
island of Tawi-Tawi alone, and in all probability the latter amount was small. 
This conclusion is reached because the natives only of Tawi-Tawi know of 
the commercial value of rubber, and also because I found rubber vines very 
near the coast on Tawi-Tawi, a sure indication that the seardi for rubber has 
not been very careful nor for a long time. 

The Philippine Islands are then practically a new held for the development 
of a rubber industry. It will be my purpose, therefore, to show — 

(1) The species of rubber-producing plants indigenous to the islands and 
the amount of territory covered. 

(2) The grade of rubber produced. 

(3) The Pliilipplnes as a rubber-producing country: («) Through utiliz.i- 
tiou of natural supply: (h) through introduction of foreign species. 

Reference to figures 31, 32, and 33 will show the two species of vines now 
known to be well distributed over the islands, both of wliich produce a good 
grade of rubber. Owing to my inability to find a vine in fruit or flower, one ol , 
them has not yet l>een determined botanically. ^Ir. Merrill contributes the 
following botanical descriptions: 

"Parameria philipjjiiiensls Radlk. ( Apocinaceie. ) 

"An evergreen woody vine, reaching a height of 40 or 5() feet and a diameter 
of 1 inch or more. Bark gray, witli an abundant milky sap. Leaves opposite, 
ovate, acute, or somewhat acuminate, glabrous. 2 to 3 inches long; nerves four 
pairs; petioles short. Flowers small, white, fragrant, in terminal panicles. 
Fruit a long, slender, distinctly torulose follicle, 10 to 12 inches long, the swell- 
ings over the seeds an incli apart. Seeds one-half inch long, brown, coma 
white, about twice as long as the seed. 

"XApocinacea-.) Genus undetermined, specimen with leaves only, from the island 

of Basilan. 

"A very large vine 150 to 200 feet jn length, with a diameter of 6 to 8 inche^ 
the bark somewhat rough, greenisli. Leaves broadly ovate or oblcular, 8 to 10 
indies long, abruptly very shortl.v acuminate, the acumen less than one-half 
inch long, glabrous above, pubescent on the nerves beneath, the nerves promi- 
nent, about 10 pairs." 

It has already been stated that no rubber-producing trees have been found. 
That is to say, a great many species of trees have been discovered which are 
known to produce a millv or latex, and while none so far studied contain rul- 
ber, it is scarcely to be supposed that when material from all has been collected 
some at least will not be found to yield a good product. 

The extent of territory covered by these two rubber vines is given by ma^ 
No. 2 (facing page 0). While the Parameria is found in Mindoro, Culion, and 
the other northern islands, the iudetermined species is found on Tawi-Tawi, 
Basilan, and Mindanao. The extent of territory covered in these various places 
was estimated after extensive personal investigations when all available data 
had been secured from natives, merchants, etc. In the northern islands, ex- 
cepting Mindoro, the area covered is given as reported by those who found 
specimens of the vine. There is every reason to believe, however, that careful 
investigations would show much larger areas. In ]Mindoro the natives in all 
the coast towns knew the rubber vine as " Dactang Ahas " (medicine for snakes) , 
and many of them brought lis samples from the neighboring forest. They all 
reported lai-ge numbers of vines in the interior of the island, and the three 



EUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 21 

expeditions made there from tlie north, west, and south sides continued their 
statements. 

In Mindanao tlie two areas triven between Dinas and Txicuran in tlie moun- 
tains near the soutli coast are the only ones known so far. and even these were 
only foinid by accident. The natives knew nothing of rubber, but they had a 
vine which ccmtained a milky substance, good either as a medicine or for 
making the heads of their drumsticks. On securing a piece of this peculiar 
substance from the latter it was found to be a good sample of rubber. Further 
e.xplorations to the Avest and east will itrobably prove that this vine covers 
about the same area as that occui)ied by the gutta-percha trees. 

In Rasilau and Tawi-Tawi the vine grows abiuidantly and to a large size. 
In the latter island the Moros understand its commercial value, and those 
engaged in collecting gutta-percha gather rubber at the same time, sometimes 
mixing the rubber and gntta milk. 

H. THE (iKAl)K OF Rl'IJlJER PRODI'CED. 

Hul>l)er milk or latex is contained in the bark of certain vines and trees 
in exactly the same manner as is gutta-percha. (See tig. o5. ) When made to 
(low. the same phenomenon of coagulation apparently sets in (piickly or slowly, 
according to the si)ecies of the plant. In man.v species of trees the coagulation 
is very slow and the tlow of milk more abundant than with gutta-percha trees. 
As a result the natives have evolved the method of tapi)ing the trees similar to 
that shown in fig. 80. The milk thus secured is coagulated in a manner simila.r 
to that employed with gutta-i»ercha. 

Another method, which seems to give the best results and which is employed 
in the preparation of Para rubber, consists in subjecting thin layers of the 
milk, placed on the broad end of a paddle, to the coagulating action of smoke 
produced by burning certain husks which are similar to those of cocoanuts. 
The smoke contains creosote and acid fumes, which quickly destroy all fungus 
/growths and bacteria which might tend to cause decomposition of the rubber, 
'. while the heat removes the greater part of the moisture at the same time. 

A chemical analj'sls of many grades of rubber coming from different species 
of trees and vines shows them, with the exception of variable amounts of water 
and dirt, to be composed almost entirel.v of rubber, with a small per cent of 
resins. The rubber in all has apparently the same chemical composition, an 
ultimate analysis giving the formula Ciollio- Chemically then there appears to 
be only one rubber, while physicall.v certain difCei'ences are to be foimd between 
samples from different species. Whether the superiority of Para rubber is due, 
'therefore, to the excellency of the rubber itself or to the above-mentioned 
method of coagulation has not yet been determined. However, it is a fact that 
Para rubber from the tree species Hcrca brasiliensis Muell. Arg., is recognized as 
the standard for grading rubber commercially. 

It will be noted that the method before mentioned is one requiring skill, judg- 
ment, and the expenditure of considerable labor. In most rubber countries the 
"native collectors possess none of these requisites and are content to employ the 
crudest methods. In consequence the rubber obtained is of a low grade even 
thought the species of tree is of the best. 

The Philippine rubber collectors are Samal and .Joloano Moros living in Tawi- 
Tawi and the adjacent coral islands. The method of coagulation used by them 
was undoubtedly learned from the Moros of North Borneo, who, with the Dyaks, 
collect much of the rubber in that island. It consists in fii'st pulling the vine 
/^down to the ground so as to be better able to tap it along its entire length. 
'The milk is caught in cocoanut shells or leaves, and coagulated by pouring into 
sea water. The coagulation is almost instantaneous, and when properly 
"'manipulated a large amount of water can be mechanically inclosed inside the 
large balls along with plenty of chopped-up bark. The resulting rubber, of 
which I secured many samples, is white, tough, and very elastic so long as it is 
kept in sea water. On exposure to the air it blackens and decomposition slowly 
sets in. 

The chemical analysis of a sample of this rubber, after much of the dirt and 
water had been removed, resulted as follows: 

Per cent. 

Dirt 3.76 

Rubber 81.57 

Resins ,_ 3.16 

Water 11.51 



22 RUBBEK-PRODTJCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

Judging from this analysis the rubber in Singapore would be rated as Borneo 
No. 1, which sells for $125 (Mexican) per picul of 133^ pounds. 

The vines generally die after being pulled down and tapped, probably because 
of their inability to again reach light and sunshine. 

The rubber from the Mindoro species has never apparently been gathered in 
any quantities even by the natives. When the bark is cut the milk flows 
readily and coagulates quickly. In appearance it is very similar to the Tawi- 
Tawi rubber. As yet no chemical analysis has been made. In order to get a 
valuation of it a sample was submitted to the Goodyear Rubber Company, of 
Akron, Ohio, who placed it at about 60 cents per pound after allowance is made 
for the percentage of water. Larger samples of both kinds of rubber are now 
being prepared in the laboratory in order that they may be submitted simul- 
taneously to rubber experts. 

Iir. THE PHILIPPINES AS A RUBBER-PRODUCING COUNTRY, 
(a) THROrGH fTILIZATION OF THE NATURAL SUPPLY. 

Judging from the way the natives of Tawi-Tawi gathered rubber when left 
to their own devices, I was convinced that they wasted as large amounts of 
the milk as they did when they collected gutta-percha — that is, ten to forty 
limes more than they took away. It is evident, then, that under present 
conditions the history of the rubber vines will be the same as that of the 
gutta-percha trees, only on a smaller scale. It is useless, in my opinion, to 
think of tapping them only, for an inspection of their tortuous windings up and 
around the high forest trees (see fig. 37) will show the impossibility of ever 
collecting the milk, no matter hew carefully the tapping were done. 

To get the full value from the vine the rubber must be extracted from the 
entire bark. Experiments along that line are now in progress in the laboratory 
and so far promise well. If the entire vine be cut into pieces and dried, the 
bark easily separates from the wood and forms 44 per cent of the entire plant. 
By grinding the bark in any ordinary mill, the rul)ber sei)arates in the form 
of small balls while the bark passes off as powder. The dried bark contains 
9 to 10 per cent by weight of pure rublier. which shows this sul>stanee to be 
about 4 per cent of the entire vine. The other conditions and details will be 
investigated by the laboratory with a view of determining methods which will 
make possible the investment of American capital. 

It is true that the method of collecting rubber given above kills the vine. 
The answer to this objection is found in the fact that when the vine has been 
cut off the roots stool again quickly. On a hillside in Mindoro where the 
natives had burned the forest for the purpose of planting rice, scores of stools 
from rubber vines were counted while the fire was yet smoldering in some of 
the old stumps and roots of the large trees. 

(h) THROUOH INTRODUCTIOX OF FORF.IG:; SPECIES. 

It was stated previously that no rubber trees were found in the islands. 
Exception should be made to the beautiful specimens of the india-rubber 
tree (Fk-iis chistica Linn.) which were introduced throughout the archipelago 
by the Spanish years ago as ornamental shade trees rather than as rubber pro- 
ducers. They are excellent examples of the ^^■ay foreign species of rubber trees 
will grow here, and may also serve the still better purpose, that of furnishing 
seeds and slips to start rubber plantations. ^Nlany plantations of this tree have 
been begun in .Java, the reasons for the selection of this species being: (1) 
The seeds are numerous and the plants grow well ; (2) the method of starting 
new plants by marcottage (see fig. 25) succeeds admirably and the plants have 
vigorous growth (see fig. 38) ; (3) the method of coagulation best suited for 
this milk is the simplest of all. It consists of making many small cuts in the 
bark of the trunk and allowing the flowing milk to coagulat in strings. When 
dry and hard they are pulled off and pressed into a c-ompact mass (see mass of 
rubber on the left. fig. 39) for shipment. The win'k can be done by even ignorant 
workmen, and with no damage to the tree. 

In the Malay States a great many plantations are now being started with 
Para rubber trees, the seeds of which are secured from the various government 
botanical gardens as well as from priv.-ite plantations. (See flg. 41.) One of 
this species of trees is now growing in Manila, and apparently the climate is 
suitable. The bureau of agriculture has distributed many Ceara rubber seeds 
during the past year, and the growth of the seedlings is marvelous. 



KUBBEE-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 23 

111 iicnoral the cliiiiiitic comlitioiis of most of the ishinds seem very favorable 
f(»r the nihlier industry. .Miiuloro and the southern ishuids esiiecially are ad- 
vantageous on acc-ount of the a1)un(hint rainfall distributed throughout the year, 
with no long season of drought. 

What pests and parasites the rultl)er trees would be troubhMl with can only 
he conjeetnred l»y reference to the experii'iice of Java. etc. Doctor Zimmerman 
(I'S) extended his work on parasites to include rubber trees, and has found on6 
or two species of insects that may cause damage.* Cattle and goats must also be 
guardi'd against. 

It is needless to dwell on the commercial side of rublier plantations. They 
are now flourishing in all troiiical countries and as an agricultural investment 
are highly considered. However, in all new countries a certain amount of 
expi'i-imeiital work must be dime before large capital can be safely invested. 
In India. P>urmah, the Malay States, and Java this has been accomplished 
by the resjiective governments. As soon as methods were perfected and seed 
siii)plies provided, private caiiital b(\gan operations at once. From the number 
of injuries already madi' about rubber planting in these islands, it would look 
as if some movements in this direction are contemplated here, investors onlj- 
waiting for the government to pave the way. By profiting from the extensive 
experience of our neigliboring countries the experimental era sliould be short 
and inexiieiisive, as a great deal of the pioneer work has been done. 

MTERATUKK. 

(1) "Die Cutta I'ercha." by Dr. Eugene Obach. Page (>. 

(2) Mech. Magazine. London, 1840. Vol. 4-5. p. 415. 

(8) C. W. Siemens, Journal of Soc. of Telegraphic Engineers, ISTG. Vol. 
5, p. 82. 

(4) London Jour. Botany, 1847. Vol. 6, p. 46.3. 

(5) Flora de Filipinas, 1887. Page 40. 

(6) " Die Gutta Percha," Obach. Page 5!). 

(7) " Die Gutta Percha," Obach. Page 15. 

(8) Personal communication. 

<9) Jour. Straits Branch. Asiat. Soc. 1884. No. 12, pp. 212-214. 

(10) "Die Gutta Percha," Oliach. Page 24. 

(11) E. Jungfleisch, " La Production de la Gutta Percha." Paris, 1892, p. 4. 

(12) Vid. Export Statistics from Bureau of Forestry, 1901, 1902, 1903. 

(13) Rules and Regulations of the Bureau of Forestiy for Utilization of 
Forest Products. 19(10. 

(14) Bulletin de L'Institut Botanique de Buitenzorg. No. XV, p. 28. 

(15) Rep. Chem. appliipie; vol. 1. p. 455. Jahresber. d. Chemie, 18-59, p. 517. 
(IC) "Die Gutta Percha." Obach. I'age 27. 

(17) Bulletin de L'Institut Botanique de Buitenzorg. No. XV, p. 22. 
(IS) " Die Gutta Percha." Obach. Page 8. 

(19) On Isopreiie and Caoutclhne. C. G. Williams, Proc. Roy. Soc, 1860. 
Vol. 10, p. 516. Harris, Ber. d. chem. Ges. 35, 3256, and Weber, Ber. d. chem. 
Ges. 33, 779. 

(20) Chem. News. 1S82. Vol. 4(!. p. 120, and 1892. vol. 65, p. 265. Comptes 
Rendus, 1875, vol. 80, p. 1446 ; 1879, vol 89. pp. 361 and 1117. 

(21) Jour. Prakt. Chem., 1897. Vol. 55, pp. 1 and 4. Jour. Russ. Phys. 
Chem. Soc, 1896 [1], 316. 

(22) "Die Gutta Percha." Obach. Pages 28. 30, 34, etc 
(28) " Die Gutta Percha." Obach. Page 87. 

(24) "Caoutchouc en Getah-Pertia." Mededeelingen uit 's Lands Planten- 
tuin. No. XXXIX. 

(25) Private ccmimnnication. 

(26) "Die Gutta Percha," Obach. Pag(> 49. 

(27) Bulletin de L'Institut Bontani(iue de Buitenzorg. No. X. 

(28) Bulletin de L'Institut Bontaniqne de Buitenzorg, No. X. 




FIG. 2.— LEAVES OF PALAQUIUM GUTTA BURCK, GROWN IN BOTANICAL GARDEN, SINGAPORE. 
FURNISHES F:RST GRADE GUTTA-PERCHA. 




FIG. 3.— LEAVES AND FRUIT OF PAYENA LEERI BENTH. ET HOOK, FROM BUITENZORG, 
JAVA. FURNISHES SECOND GRADE GUTTA-PERCHA. 



-LEAVES OF PALAQUIUM TREUBLI BURCK, GROWN AT BUITEN20RG, JAVA. 
SECOND-GRADE RUBBER. 




FIG. 5.— PALAQUIUM LATIFOLIUM BLANCO, PROVINCE OF TAYABAS, LUZON. 




FIG. 6.— PALAQUIUM BARNESII MERRILL, ISLAND OF MASBATE. 




Truk^u^UfH .oft- Mjati.'^lrirCrOf*>-"^n 






FIG. 7.— PALAQUIUM AHERNIANUM MERRILL, TUCURAN, DISTRICT OF ZAMBOANGA, MINDANAO. 





' FLORA OF THE PHlLi>'t 

Mt«>A>nUl< Of TMt BOMAU Of ""^'j"""- 

FIG. 8.— PALAQUIUM CELEBICUM BURCK, DISTRICT OF COTTABATO, MINDANAO. 




FIG. 9. — PALAQUIUM CUNEATUM VIDAL, PROVINCE OF TAYABAS, LUZON. 



itJto 




FIG. 10.— PALAQUIUM GIGANTIFOLIUM MERRILL, PROVINCE OF TAYABAS. 




FIG. 11. — PALAQUIUM LUZONIENSE ' F. VILL^ VIDAL, PROVINCE OF TAYABAS, 

LUZON. 




^l;,;.-,i..- "I 



t2/A'.i^t»<VtK.' ' 



FIG. 12.— PALAQUIUM MINDANAENSE MERRILL. DISTRICT OF COTTABATO, MINDANAO. 





r 



\ 



FIG. 13.— PAYENA LEERII (T. ET B.) BENTH. ET HOOK, TAWI TAWI. 



MAP 

PHILIPPINES 




MAP SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA. 




UJ LLl 




-READY TO FELL A LARGE GUTTA-PERCHA TREE FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES, 
DISTRICT OF ZAMBOANGA, MINDANAO. 




I o 

I- 5 




-A GUTTA-PERCHA TREE FELLED BY THE SUBANOS, NEAR CURUAN, DISTRICT OF 
ZAMBOANGA, MINDANAO. 




FIG. 19.— A GUTTA-PERCHA TREE TAPPED SO THAT MUCH OF THE MILK IS LOST ON THE 
GROUND, TUCURAN, DISTRICT OF ZAMBOANGA. 




-LARGE GUTTA-PERCHA TREE FELLED AND RINGED, DISTRICT OF ZAMBOANGA, 
MINDANAO. 




FIG. 21.— STEM OF GUTTA-PERCHA TREE, SHOWING SCAFFOLDING, ZAMBOANGA. 




FIG. 22.--CHINESE TRADING BOAT COLLECTING GUTTA-PERCHA AT PARANG PARANG. 




m.i6 



-v:.i:-' 















,' 


, '•;-'. • ■>. ," .>'^ 




■*w 




mtltt. 






'-•?<■ J' 



-^Hi.' 



«^: 





FIG. 25.— SHOWING METHOD OF PROPAGATING 
GUTTA-PERCHA TREES BY MEANS OF MAR- 
COTTAGE, BUITENZORG, JAVA. 




FIG. 26.— A PALAQUIUM GUTTA TREE GROWING IN THE OPEN, BOTANICAL GARDEN, 
SINGAPORE, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 




FIG. 27.— A TREE OF PALAQUIUM GUTTA JUST TAPPED, TJIPITIR, JAVA. 




FALAQUIUM TREUBII JUST TAPPED, TJIFITIR, JAVA. 




FIG. 29.— ABSENCE OF DEEP SCARS AFTER SEVERAL YEARS TAPPING, BUITENZORG, JAVA. 




FIG. 30.— SAMPLES OF PURE GUTTA PREPARED IN THE LABORATORY FOR EXPERIMENTAL 

PURPOSES. 




FIG. 31.— A RUBBER VINE (PARAMERIS PHILIPPINENSIS RADLK', WESTERN MINDORO. 




FIG. 32.— RUBBER VINE i PARAMERIA PHILIPPINENSIS RADLK. >, GROWING 
IN GREAT ABUNDANCE ON ISLANDS OF MINDORO AND CULION. 




FIG. 33.— RUBBER VINE FOUND IN TAWI TAWI, BASILAN, AND MINDANAO. SPECIES 
UNDETERMINED. 




-RUBBER VINE IWILLUGHBEIA FIRMA BLUME'. THIS SPECIES SUPPLIES MOST 
OF THE RUBBER PRODUCED IN BORNEO. 





■ 




^^d^^^l 




fll^^^B 




^ 


I 






1 




J»ii la.iiiMIMMf^i^^^^^B 


■■p^gn 


iVfl 




BIm 







FIG. 35.— PIECE OF DRY BARK FROM RUBBER VINE, 
SHOWING THE IMMENSE NUMBER OF RUBBER 
FIBERS IN THE INNER BARK. 




-METHOD OF TAPPING A PARA RUBBER TREE THIRD DAY AFTER TAPPING, 
EXPERIMENTAL GARDEN, BUITENZORG, JAVA. 




-PLANTATION OF PARA RUBBER TREES, PRODUCING SEED, BOTANICAL GARDEN, 
SINGAPORE. 



BUREAU OF FORESTRY. 

(Bulletin No. 3.) 

A COMPILATION OF NOTES ON INDIA RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA. 

By Capt. Geouge P. Ahern. 

letter of transmittal. 

Bureau op Forestry, 
Manila, N^ovcmber 15, 1905. 

Sir: I have the honor to sul^mit herewith for your consideration a (•oni))ilation of 
notes on rubber and gutta-percha, giving data concerning the requirements, growth, 
and treatment of the most important rubber-producing species in different ])arts of 
the world. A large number of writers, acquainted with the commercial exploitation 
of rubber trees and vines, have l)een consulted and their conclusions com]iiled. 

These notes were gathered together after a number of requests had l)een made of 
the undersigned for information concerning the market for crude rubber, price, pros- 
pects for rubber growing in these islands, requirements of soil and climatic conditions 
for the growth of rubber trees, etc. 

The data collected by Doctor Sherman and bj- Philippine botanists and collectors 
show that the soil, climate, and other conditions are favorable to ruliber and gutta- 
percha in certain parts of these islands. 

The government nurseries at Lamao, Bataan Province, have on hand for distribu- 
tion a number of the more imjjortant species of rubber plants, including Hevea bras- 
iliensis, CastiUoacIasiira. Manihot glaziovvi, and Ficiis elastica. 

Of the 29 rul)l)er-producing sjK'cies enumerated in the above-mentioned notes, the 
4 just mentioned furnish the greater part of the world's rublier supjjly. All of these 
species have been extensively cultivated in the Orient and haAe l)een found to be 
well suited to the climatic conditions. 

In two or three years we should have available for distribution an abundance of 
seed from each of the above-mentioned species. Experiments in ])lanting rul>lier 
trees should l)e encovu-aged in a great many different districts in the islands, so that 
we may h arn just where the trees thrive best and under what Icoal conditions a good 
quality of rul)ber is produced. 

The three great rublier-producing centers of the world at the present time may be 
broadly classified as follows: 

1. East Indies: British India, Ceylon. Burma, Straits Settlements. Java. Borneo, etc. 

2. Africa: Numerous foreign possessions and free states along the coast of Africa; 
Madagascar. 

3. Mexico and South America. 

The demand for crude rubber continues to exceed the supply, and from statements 
made by the leading rubber merchants this condition of affairs shows no prospect of 
changing. 

I would respectfully recommend that these notes be published as Bulletin No. 3. 
Very respectfully, 

George P. Ahern, 

Director of Forestry. 
The Secretary of the Interior, 

Mayiila, P. T. 

25 



26 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



"Twenty-five years ago Mr. John H. Cheever, one of the most successful rubber 
manufacturers the world has known, bought raw rubber as low as the prices appended, 
in comparison with which we note the highest New York quotations for corresponding 
grades within the current year: 

[Prices stated in United States currency.] 



Grade. 


1879. 


1905. 


Grade. 


1879. 


1905. 


Fine Para 


$0.50 


.'il;l.,33 


African 

Borneo 


.24 
.47i 
.35 


1.04 


Coarse Para 


.34 1 .97 
.34 ! .91 


.41 


Assam 


Mozambique 


.9 















"The demand for rubber never ceases nor becomes diminished; it promises to grow 
in years to come as it has done in all the years since the first rubber goods were vulcan- 
ized." (From India Rubber World, December 1, 1904, p. 69.) 

During the past ten years the imports of raw rubber into the United States have 
nearly doubled. If we use the official customs returns for the fiscal years ending June 
30 the comparison is as follows: 

Pounds. 

1893-94 33, 737, 783 

1903-4 59, 015-, 651 

Meanwhile, the imports for consumption in other countries have probably increased 
at a corresponding rate. 

An old axiom avers that supply regulates demand, but in regard to rubber we 
already have an overdemand, and it is the supply that the manufacturers are seeking. 
The greater the supply, the more numerous will be the uses to which rubber will be 
applied, and we are assured by both scientists and business men that such a thing as 
overproduction is impossible. In view of this fact, a large number of companies have 
in recent years become interested in the establishment and commercial exploitation 
of various rubber-producing trees. 

RUBBER AND GUTTA YIELDING SPECIES. 

Of the large number of rubber and gutta yielding species especially fitted for tropical 
cultivation, M. A. Godefroy-Lebeuf, an eminent French horticulturist, in his Catalogue 
of Economic and Ornamental Plants, cites: 

Landolphia kirhii: Zanzibar rubber. 
Landolphia owariensis: Casamance rubber. 
Landolphia klainii: Fernand-Vas (French Congo) rubber. 
Landolphia sp.: Dubreka (west Afi'ica) rubber. 
Landolphia tomcntosa: Conakry (west Africa) rubber. 
Urceola esculenta: Burma rubbei". 
Urceola elastica: Borneo rubber. 
Manihot glaziovii: Ceara rubber. 
Eiiphorbia sp.: Fort Dauphin (Madagascar) rubber. 
Vahea madagascarensis: Diego-Suarez (Madagascar) rubber. 
Tabernaemonlana sp.: West African tree, with fruit-yielding rubber. 
Kickxia afncana: Lagos rubber. 
'Kickxia latifolia: Kassai (Congo) rubber. 
Ficus elastica: Assam rubber. 
Ficus vogehi: Conakry (west Africa) rubber. 
Ficus rubiginosa: Australian rubber. 
Castilloa elastica: Central American rubber. 
Hevea confnsa: Brazilian rubber. 
Hetea brasilicnsis: Para rubber. 

Hancornia speciosa: Pernambuco or " Mangabeira " rubber. 
Sapium Inglandulosum: Tolima (Colombia) rubber. 
Sapium thomsonii: Another Colombian species. 
Willoughbeia firma: Malaysian rubber. 
Willoughbeia cdulis: Laos (China) rubber. 
Chonemorpha macrophylla: An ornamental plant from India. 
Isonandra gvtta: Gutta-percha. 
Payena leerii: Gutta-sundek. 
Mimusops balata: Balata. 
Achras sapota: Chicle. (India Rubber World. Vol. XXIII, No. 1, 1900, p. 14.) 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 27 

GRAPES OF CRUDE Rt BBER. 
I 

INDIA RUBBER. 

■"India rubl)er or ciuiulchoiic (•(tiisist.'^ of the dried coagulati-d milky juictM>t' various 
trees and shrubs, i)elonging chiefly to the natural orders Eu phorbiaccn;, Moracesc, 
Artocarpaceie, and Apoeynacea?. Although a milky juice is found in plants of many 
other families, it does not in all cases yield caoutchouc, nor do different species of the 
same genus yield an equal c(uantity or quality of that substance. On the other hand, 
there are many plants which afford a good rubber. l)Ut have not yet been sought out 
for the commercial pur])()ses. 

■'* * * Caoutcliouc differs from other vegetal)le products of like origin by 
possessing considerable elasticity, by l)eing insoluble in water or alcohol, alkalies, and 
acids (with the exception of concentrated nitric and suli)huric acids). Although 
apparently simple in constitution, it contains not oidy the elastic substance to which 
its commercial value is due but a small quant ity of an oxidizing, viscid, resinous body 
eoluble in alcohol. This latter sul)stance varies in quantity^ in different kinds of 
rubber, those containing the smallest amount, .such as Para and Ceara, being considered 
the most valuai)le. while those in which it is present in greatest proportion, such as the 
Guatemala and African rubbers, 'are the least esteemed." (From Encyclopedia 
Britannica.) 

CAUCHO. 

■"Cauclio is a distinct sort of a rubber, inferior to the Para. * * * It is not cured 
by smoking, but by the admixture with the milk of lime, potash, or soap." 



"In character this gum occu{)ies a position between india rul)bcr and gutta-percha, 
combining in a degree the elasticity of one with the ductility of the other, and freely 
softening and becoming plastic and easily molded in hot water. The milk, diluted 
with water, is said to l)e drunk by the nativ(>s as a sul)stitute for cow's milk. Halata is 
dried ordinarily by evaporation. A more rapid coagulation is effected l)y the use of 
spirits of wine. Alum and sulphate of aluminum are .sometimes used to coagulate, but 
are not very satisfactory. The gum is sometimes mixed during the gathering with the 
milk that produces gum known as Touchpong and Barta-Balli. Balata shrinks in wash- 
ing from 25 to 50 per cent. It is used principally in the manufacture of belting and for 
insidation work. It has also been utilized for golf Ijalls and as a substitute for india 
rubber in dress shields. 

GUTTA-PERCHA. 

"Gutta-percha, which was introduced into Europe from Singapore in 1843, was for 
a while confounded with india rubl)er, from which it differs in some very important 
particidars. It becomes soft and plastic on imm(>rsion in hot water, retaining the .shape 
then given it on cooling, whereupon it liccomes hard, but not brittle, like otkiergums. 
India rubber, on the other hand, does not soften in hot water and retains its original 
elasticity and strength almost unimpaired. The water, as such, exercises no softening 
action on gutta-percha, the effect being purely one of temperature, which may ('([ually 
be produced by hot air, only somewliat more slowly. The degree of heat reqiured 
de])en<ls upon the quality of the material, but even the hardest kind bcn-omes plastic 
above 150° F. Heated in air considerably aliove the ])oiling point of water, gutta- 
percha decomposes and finally ignites, burning with a luminous smoky flame and emit- 
ting a pungeat odor, reseml)ling that from burning rul)ber. 

"A curious characteristic of gutta-percha is that when it is softened in water, although 
it is so plastic that it will reproduce the most delicate impressions, it will bear blow^ 
from hammers or allow itself to be thrown against a stone wall without lieing marred." 
(From t'rude Rubber and Comjxmnding Ingredients, pp. 27. 228. by Henry ('. 
Pearson.) 

CEARA RIBBER (MAXIHOT GLAZIOVIl). 
SOUTH AMERir.\. 

"The cultivation of Ceanl rubl)er (Manihot glaziovii) was begun in Nicaragua 
abt)ut four years ago. The splendid condition of the plantings and the large yield and 
excellent quality of the product taken in trial tappings give promise of the success of 
the enterprise. The Ceara rubber tree is a dry-land plant and will not prosper in a wet 
soil. In congenial climatic conditions and soil, its early and abundant product and 
excellent quality make it profitable to plant . The location in which it is being planted 



28 KUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

in Nicaragua is a part of the districts of La Paz and Momotombo, where the Momotombo 
Mountain, by driving the clouds to one side, protects this section from the force of the 
tropical rains, so that it is comparatively dry, receiving just about enough water to 
grow corn, which is abundant, and for Ceara rubber. The soil is sandy, with an 
admixture of a very little clay, and very deep or slightly rolling. The elevation above 
the sea is some 300 feet. The section is traveled by the Nicaragua Central Railroad. 
The plantation of the San Nicolas belongs to the Nicaragua Rubber Company, and on 
it are the oldest and largest trees in this section. Three-year-old trees on this planta- 
tion measure 26 inches in girth 3 feet above the soil, and are over 30 feet high. 

"That Ceara rubber will yield at 2 years of age has been proved on the San Nicolas 
and neighboring plantations. Twenty-one trees, from 14 to 21 months, with an average 
age of 14 months, were tapped and together gave 7^ pounds of dry rubber. A tree 15 
months old gave 3 ounces of rubber. Many trials have been made, with like results. 
Still, it is not intended to tap until the trees are 4 years old, in order that they may 
retain their best development. It is expected that 4-year-old trees will produce 1 
pound of rubber per tree, and from that time the product will augment rapidly. There 
are now in the district, outside of native plantings, four American plantations of Man- 
ihot glaziovii, the San Nicolas, La Victoria, El Americano, and El Triunfo, on which 
are planted some 200,000 trees, while as many more will be planted in another year." 
(Report of the San Nicolas Plantation, Nicaragua, South America. India Rubber 
World, Vol. XXVII, No. 3, Dec, 1902, p. 80.) 

"* * *■ Beingfamiliar with the i/rmi/iof (^Zfmorw, the rubber of Ceara, Mr. Adler 
decided that this location (La Paz), in Nicaragua, was well suited for it and purchased 
1,000 acres of land there under the name of La Victoria plantation. In February, 
1902, work was begun on the clearing of the undergrowth on 300 acres, and in the last 
week in April the ground was burned over. After the first rains in May, 60,000 seeds 
were planted, mostly at stake, and the rest in a nursery. During June many of the 
seeds began to sprout and the seedlings had been appearing daily up to the time of Mr. 
Alder's writing (November 6). At that date the seedlings, which had first appeared 
being 5 months old, were 10 and 12 feet in height a'nd 3 to 4\ inches in girth 6 inches 
from the ground, which Mr. Alder considers 'extraordinary growth even for the Mani- 
hot glaziovii.' So rapid was the growth of the plants in the nursery that many had to 
be transplanted at the age of 4 weeks, instead of being allowed to remain in the beds 
for a year, as originally intended . Mr. Adler has found the best results from allowing the 
sun's rays full access to the rubber plants, for then the trunks became full and strong, 
whereas if any other growth is allowed around the young plant, they grow slender and 
lack strength to support the weight of the leaves." (Report of La Victoria Plantation, 
La Paz, Nicaragua, South America. Indian Rubber World, Vol. XXVII, No. 3, Dec, 
1902, p. 80.) 

"* * * The United States consul at Sergipe (Brazil) mentions that in 1898 the 
State appointed a commission to report upon the introduction of the Ceara variety of 
rubber for cultivation, should it prove advisable. The commission visited Ceara, 
where the manicoba rubber trees were originally found wild and are now under exten- 
sive cultivation, and as a result of their investigation manicoba has been planted in 
various parts of Sergipe. The consul has seen two plantations, one with about 17,000 
trees and the other with more than 20,000, both 3 years of age and apparently in a flour- 
ishing condition. Manicoba is grown from seed, planted at the commencement oi the 
rainy season, 12 to 15 feet apart, usually three seeds to a hill, the most vigorous result- 
ing plant being left to stand. Some planters file one end of the hard seed (which resem- 
bles the seed of the castor bean) to assist germination; others soak the seeds before 
planting; but generally the seed is planted without previous preparation. It is said 
that the plant will grow on run-down sugar lands. It is cultivated on the sandy soils 
of Ceara, but it doubtless will succeed best on good farming soil. The tree requires 
little attention, in many places the soil receiving no cultivation, and reaches a height 
of from 12 to 36 feet in four to six years. It yields rubber at a very early age, the aver- 
*age stated at about two and a half years from planting, when from 7 to 35 ounces of 
rubber may be obtained l)y removing from the trunk a V-shaped piece of bark, to the 
lower angle of which a small vessel is placed to collect the latex. Coagulation is 
assisted by smoking, as in the case of Para rubber, though the latex will roagulate 
spontaneously in the air. The cost of planting and gathering the initial crop is stated 
to be less than in the case of coffee, sugar, or cotton, while the profit is greater, and 
the consul believes that the new industry will become important." (India Rubber 
World, Vol. XXVI, No. 5, Aug., 1902, p. 352.) 



RUBBER-PRODUCING rAPACTTY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 29 

CASTILLOA ELASTICA — THK CENTRAL AMEUICAN KUBBEK TREE, MEXICO AND SOUTH 

AMERICA. 

RUBBER CULTURK. 

[By O. ¥. Cook, Bureau of Plant lufiustry. United States Department of Agriculture.] 

'"The culture of the Central American rubber tree has passed the experimental stage, 
in the sense that the practicability of the agricultural production of rub})er has been 
demonstrated; but, on the other hand, it has been ascertained that the tree may 
thrive where it will yii>ld little or no rubber. Under favorable natural conditions the 
culture of (\tsfilln ilastica (the spelling Cafililln. instead of Castillna, has lieen adopted 
in Washington on account of its being the original form) bids fair to become very prof- 
itable, but the expiM-imental determination of the factors which influence the produc- 
tion of rub])cr has scarcely begun. 

"In southern Mexico and Central America, the regions well adapted to the culture 
of Castilla are much more limited tlian has been supposed. The presenc-e of the wild 
Costilla trees is not a sufficient evidence that a locality is suited to commercial rub))er 
culture. 

"Differences in the rubber yield are due not merely to the existence of different 
species and varietii'S of Castilla, but are also controlled' by external conditions. The 
functions of tlie rubber milk in the economy of the plant are not well understood or 
agreed upon by botanists: but there are numennis reasons for holding that in Castilla 
and many other plants it aids in resisting drought. 

"A continuously humid climate is not necessary to the growth and the produc- 
tiveness of Castilla. The indications are rather that the quantity of milk and the per- 
centage of rubber are l)oth increased by an alternation of wet and dry seasons. In its 
wild slate Castilla does not flourish in the denser forests, but requires more open sit- 
uations. It is confined to forest regions only by the perishability of its seeds. Cas- 
tilla thrives. better v.'hen planted in the ojien than in the d(>nse forests; even young 
seedlings are not injured by full exposure to the sun, providing that the ground does 
not become too dry. The |)lanting of Castilla unfler shade or in jiartially cleared for- 
ests is to be advised only ()n account of special conditions or as a mc^ans of saving labor 
and ex])(>nse. 

■'The loss of the leaves in the dry season may be explained as a protection against 
drought, and does not indicate conditions unfavorable to the tree or to the protection 
of rubber. The falling of the leaves of Castilla elastica in the dry season renders it 
unsuitable as a shade tree for coffee or cacao. In continuously humid localities, 
where the leaves are retained, shade trees are superfluous and tlie yield of rubber 
<leclines. The desirable features of shade culture, the shading of the soil, and the 
encouragement of tall upright trunks are to be secured by planting the rubber trees 
closer together, rather than liy the use of special shade trees. Planting closer than 10 
feet, however, is of very doul)tful expediency. The percentage' of rul)l)er increases 
during the dry season and diminishes during the wet. The flow of milk is lessened 
in dry situations l)y inadequate water supply, but at the beginning of the rains 
such trees yield miik much more freely than those of continuously humid localities. 
The claim that more rubber is produced in the forests or by shaded trees seems to rest 
on tapping experiments made in the dry season. 

"Continuous humidity being unnecessary, the culture of Castilla may be under- 
taken in more salul)rious regions than those in which rubl)er production has been 
thought to be conlined; the experimental planting of Castilla in Porto Rico and the 
Philippines becomes advisable, but extensive planting in untried conditions is haz- 
ardous. No satisfactory implement for tapping of Castilla trees has come into use. 
Boring and suction devices are excluded by the fact that the milk is contained in 
fine vertical tubes in the bark, which must be cut to allow the milk to escape. 

■'In liritish India it has been ascertained that the Para rubber tree may be repeat- 
edly tapped on sev(>ral successive or alternate days by renewing the wounds at the 
edges. Th(> yield of milk increases for several tappings and the total is unexpectedly 
large. It is not yet known whether multiple tapping is practicable with Castilla or 
whether this new plan may not give the Para rubber tree a distinct cultural advan- 
tage over Castilla. 

■'The gathering of rubber from trees less than 8 years old is not likely to be advan- 
tageous; the expense of collecting will be relatively large, and the quality of such 
rubber is inferior, owing to the large percentage of resin. The rubber of Castilla is 
scarcely inferior to that of Hevea. The supposed inferiority is due to substances 
which can be removed from the milk by heat and by dilution with water." (India 
Rubber World, Vol. XXIX, No. 1, Oct.,'l903, p. 3.) 



30 RUBBER-PRODUCIXG CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

■'* * " No cultivated rubber has yet been produced in quantities in tropical 
Mexico. On the other hand, rubber trees have for some years been grown experi- 
mentally. These tests have already established two important facts: First, that con- 
ditions are favorable to the rapid growth of cultivated rubber plants, and second, 
that the rubber trees will yield marketable rubber. The general conditions favorable 
to the cultivation of rubber, namely, a well-drained soil without shade, have also 
been determined. 

"From estimates obtained from various American planters in Mexico, the lowest 
yield for cultivated rubber trees at different stages is as follows: 

■' Average 6-year-old tree will produce without injury 4 to G ounces of rubber. 

" Average 7-year-old tree bled to death will produce al)out 1 pound of rubber. 

" Average 8 to 10 year-old tree will produce without injury at least 1 pound of rubber. 

" The planting on the Rubio plantation in 1902 amounted to 1,499 acres, on which, 
allowing for failures, there are now estimated to be 1, GOO, 000 plants. It is noted that 
the height of the trees grown from seeds — about 65 per ceJit of the whole — is greater 
than that of transplanted or replanted trees. The planting in 1903 amounted to 520 
acres, on which, after again allowing for failures, there are 595,000 plants. The num- 
ber of plants, of course, is much greater than will be allowed to stand permanently, 
but it has not yet been decided at what age to begin thinning out." (Report of the 
official inspector, Tehauntepec Rul>ber Ctdture Company, Mexico, India Rtibber 
World, Vol. XXX, No. 2, May, 1904, p. 271.) 

"* * * The hardiness of the Castilloa dastica tree simplifies its culture very 
much, and as it possesses a vitality superior to that of the weeds or of any other kind 
of vegetation, it does, not require heavy expense for frequent weedings. If, without 
any help from man, such trees can grow for hundreds of years in wild woods full of 
vines, briers, and many other plants, under cultivation they can certainly outlive the 
v/eeds. 

■'* * * The time recjuired to produce gum from this tree depends upon the 
locality, rainfall, and methods used for cultivation. My estimates of production 
and tapping age are based upon my personal experience and close observation, and 
not upon what others have written. The cultivated rubber tree blossoms after the 
sixth year, and can not be tapped before this time without injury. The rainfall of 
the previous year generally determines the earliness of the season and the number of 
the blooms, the quality of the seeds, and the flow and quality of the milk itself. 

■' The sap furnished by a 7-year-old rubber tree should yield a minimum of 1^ pounds 
of pure rubber, and as every tree increases its yield by no less than one-half pound 
of gum annually until its 25th year of age, at least 15 to 20 pounds of pure gtun 
should be obtained yearly thereafter dtiring the life of the tree. So an acre of land con- 
taining 220 rubber trees, planted 14 feet apart each way, will give at the end of the sixth 
year — or, to be more exact, in the first crop made during its seventh year of existence — • 
330 pounds of pure rubber, which, at the rate of 50 cents gold, would give a revenue of 
1165. If this estimate of IJ pounds per tree should not seem conservative enough, let 
it be 1 pound to the tree, and the return per acre will be $110." (Chas. G. Cano, C. E., 
Mexico. India Rubber World, Vol. XXIV, No. 5, August, 1901, p. 322.) 

" An exact record vras made of the results of some recent tapping of rtibber trees (Cas- 
tilloa elastica) on the San Miguel plantation, owned by the Tabasco Plantation Com- 
pany, located on the Macuspana River, in the State of Tabasco, Mexico, which are sum- 
marized below. There are on this estate about 400 large rubber trees, which were 
planted in the shade of ' mother' trees (not rubber) planted for shading the coffee while 
the rubber was getting a start. 

"The rubber trees on this plantation are of the variety known throughout Mexico 
and Central America as Castilloa elastica. This variety is divided into two classes, 
the first of which is known as the yellow rubber tree. Iliile amarillo, this being the 
male. The milk from these trees flows very freely, having a fresh yellowish color. 
It flows .so freely that there is scarcely any left in the cuts after tapping. The other 
variety is known as the white rubber tree, or Hide bianco, this being the female. 

"A fact well known to the ruljber planters is that trees planted in the shade require 
a much longer time to attain their maturity and full size than those planted in the 
sun. In fact, the most casual observer could not fail to notice the astonishing differ- 
ence in size between the trees grown in the sun and those in the shade. It is believed 
that the size of a rubber tree has more to do with the amount of rubber it will produce 
than its age. 

"The first step in tapping a rul>ber tree is to clean a small place around the tree, a 
small gash then being made in the l)ark with the point of a machete and a leaf inserted 
therein, which serves at a spout to run the milk into pails. From this point the cuts 
are made upward at an angle of 45 degrees and extending in each direction a suflicient 
distance to include three-fourths of the circumference of the tree. Directly above 
this, a distance of 1 meter, another cut is made exactly like the first, the milk flowing 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



81 



down the side of the tree into the first cnt and on into the jiail. These cuts are repeated 
on the entire body of the tree, or until the branches ar(> encountered. You will at 
once see that all the milk has not Ix-en secured, but a sufficient amount left to main- 
tain the tree in good condition for another year. The next tapping, which will be 
made a year from now, will be made on the same side; of the tree, A inches al)o\(' the cut 
made this year, and the following year 3 inches above that, so that it will be possible to 
make 13 tappings on one side, or 26 on both sides; or, in other words, a tree can be 
tapped twenty-six years without retapping the old cuts. Thi' instrument used by the 
native is a machete, or long knife. The bark of a 10-year-old rub))er tree is about 
three-fourths of an inch thick. 

"Tlie milk, gathered in pails, is taken to the rubber-drying house, where it may be 
converted into rubl>er through either of the following processes, both of which we have 
used : 

"First, it is spread on a cement floor to a depth of three-fourths of an incli, this floor 
being st) situated that the milk is constantly in contact with the sun's rays, thus dr\-ing 
veiy ra})itlly. After it is dry, the sheets are rolled up into convenient sizes for 
shipment. 

"The second process is through coagulation with a native vine known as 'bejuco de 
necta.' During the coagulation the ruliber is left porous, and as it contains more or less 
water, it is necessary to remove same Ijy using a press. It requires more time to prepare 
rubber l)y the first process. The average shrinkage in converting milk intu solid rub- 
ber is 2.3; or, in other words, 2.3 pounds of rul)ber milk will make 1 pound of rul)l)er. I 
have personally attended to the tapping, and the figures given herein are aljsolutely 
correct. 



Age. 



Number 
of trees. 



/ years 

8 years ' 

9 "years i 

10 years 1 

V2 years ^ 

I 



■'S'\ Late. 



Ini ?>es. 
30 80 

S7. 75 
40. 14 
43.25 
50.50 



Ounces. 
11.80 
20. 70 
21.23 
2(i. 75 
40.50 



Rubber. 



Ounces. 
9. .30 
14.25 
' 18 
17.50 
28.90 



"Based upon the above figures, the rubber product from an acre of land containing 
200 trees. 7 years old, would be 112 pounds; at 8 years old, 174 pounds; at 9 years old, 
24.0 pounds; and at 12 vears old, 314 pcmnds." flndia Rubber World, Vol. XXVII, 
No. 1, Apr., 1903, p. 22d.) 



THREE V.\RIETIES OF CASTILLOA. 



"* * * In planting Cos/iWoa it would appear that great care is required to make 
sure that the seeds or seedlings obtained are really those of the ]>est variety of CaslUloa 
elastica. It appears that there are at least three varieties of this CaslUloa. which are 
respectively distinguished as CaslUloa alba, CaslUloa negra, and CaslUloa ntbra. There 
is not the slighest difference lietween these three varieties as regards the general form 
of the tree and its liraiich(>s. and also the flowers and seeds are in all three apparently 
identical. The above descriptions refer to the color of the bark. The difference even 
there, however, is so small that it takes a practiced eye to recognize the different varie- 
ties. These differ, nevertheless, very greatly in their value to the ru liber planter. 

"Alba. — CaslUloa elastica alba produces a thick creamy milk. It is the hardiest of all 
CaslUloa trees, and suffers very little from the tapping operation. It also yields the 
greatest quantity of rubber. The ))ark of this variety is white, with a distinct yellowish 
or pinkish cast. 

'' Ncgra. — CaslUloa daslica negra is characterized by a very rough, dark bark. It 
yields very rapidly a thin milk, producing a good rubber, but the tree in tapping easily 
bleeds to death. 

"Rubra. — CaslUloa daslica rubra has a reddish bark, which is very smooth, thin, and 
brittle, nor does it show the longitudinal furrows wliich are noticeable in the two first- 
named trees. This variety yields a very small quantity of milk, but the ruliber 
ol)tained from it is good. The tree is very common all over Central America, and I am 
afraid that, in a number of instances, it was this tree which was planted instead of 
the white CaslUloa. Indeed, Kosschney is inclined to think that it is this variety 
with which the experiments in the ])otanical gardens of Ceylon and Java were made, 
which gave such discouraging re.-;ults." ("Castilloa: Its description, yield, etc.," 
by Dr. C. O. Weber. India Rubl)er .lournal (London), Vol. XXVIII. No. 5. Aug., 
1904, p. 229.) 



32 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPIISTE ISLANDS. 

CASTILLOA ELASTICA IN THE EAST. 

The iree.— ''The real Castilloa elastica. or one of the right species, appears to be 
grown in Ceylon. There are several indications that point to this. We have the 
peculiar typa of great size, with its back covering of short brown hair, the so-called 
' dimorphism' of the branches, which consist in the branches which start from the 
trunk in a downward slope at a certain point taking a turn to a horizontal and then 
upward direction, and the color of the bark seems correct. The result of tappings 
made to date in Ceylon prove conclusively that all the trees so far experimented 
on contain latex capable of coagulation and resultant good rubber, and the variety 
of Castilloa entirely devoid of latex, of which we have been warned, appears so far 
to be absent from Ceylon. It is impossible to say definitely at present that we have 
the very best variety of rubber-yielding Castilloa elastica, as so little is known on 
the subject, l)ut that we have one of the well-yielding varieties I am convinced. 

Where to grow Castilloa. — "'Subject as all my remarks in this paper must be to the 
somewhat extreme limitation of our present knowledge of Castilloa. I advance with 
confidence the opinion that this species of rubber requires very deep soil, with the 
best of drainage, and of a rich, loamy character, and consider it sjieculative to a 
degree to plant it under less favorable conditions. We have ample evidence at the 
Henaratgoda Gardens, and to some extent at Peradeniya also, of the fact that in 
shallow or ill-drained soils Castilloa will not grow to pay, if it grows at all. One of 
two things will happen; either the young plants will refuse to come away at all; or, 
flourishing for a certain period which may extend for some years, it will eventually 
be checked in growth and become weakly, diseased, quite useless for rubber-collecting 
purposes, which will assuredly kill it outright if attempted. 

"The elevation at which to grow Castilloa I would put at 1 000 to 1.500 feet. Tried 
at sea level, and in Kalutara at a little above Sea level, it refuses to grow after reaching 
a height of some 10 or 15 feet. Up to this the young plant appears as healthy as in 
higher elevations l)ut the check is inevitable and the tree may as well then be cleared 
out as only cumbering the ground. I therefore take the desiderata for successful 
growth of Castilloa. in the East at any rate, to be: 

"1. Rich, free soil of considerable depth, with good. drainage. 

"2. Elevation of from 1,000 to 1 500 feet, with some latitude at either end. but for 
perfection of growth I would favor about midway between the elevations given. 

"The Castilloa root descends to great depths and hence the necessity for deep 
soil, for I take it the 'tap' root here is of much importance in relation to the latex- 
bearing powers of the tree. 

"As regards situation and lay of land, I would favor undulating ground, but attach 
no particular importance to this. The Castilloa is a very robust tree and survives 
serious injury, so that it may be planted, even where subject to much wind, though 
this will to some extent retard the growth. For reasons given later in this pamphlet, 
the best conditions of climate for the growth of Castilloa and its success as a revenue- 
earning power would appear to be where wet and dry seasons alternate in well-marked 
divisions. A constantly humid climate, such as would suit Para, is not desirable. 
Castilloa likes drought, and I have seen it at the end of three months without rain in 
as healthy and luxuriant a state as can be desired. Castilloa. where conditions are 
favorable, is a tree of very rapid growth, reaching in three or four years' time to a 
height of some 30 feet, with a gii-th of 25-30 inches. These are actual measurements 
taken in Ceylon. -^^-^-^-^^-^ — ' 

"JTIIE^SEED OF NURSERIES AND PLANTING. ] 

"The seed of the Castilloa tree was at one time considered to be very perishable 
indeed, but experience has proved this is not the case, and packed in charcoal it 
may be sent long distances with safety. It is important, however, that the seed be 
extracted from its red fleshy covering the same day as picked and at once properly 
cleaned. Treated thus, as an experiment in planting, seed two months after picking 
resulted in an outturn of 80 per cent. It is essentially a hardy seed, and where the 
product of the trees is grown under the favorable conditions I have enumerated 
above, a very large percentage of plants from the seed laid down may be counted on 
with confidence. I emphasize this point, as it is of very much more importance to 
success than that usually laid stress upon by intending pm'chasers who inqtiire, 
'"Wliat is the age of the parent tree?' 

"In my own experience I have known of two cases, in one of which the parent 
trees are "from 12 to (it is believed) 20 years of age, and the other 4 years only. The 
former gave a very poor outturn of plants from seed, whereas with the latter the out- 
turn of plants from seed, whereas with the latter the outturn was practically 100 per 
cent, or no vacancies, and the plants most healthy. I see no reason for this but the 



KUBBEK-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 38 

fact that the older tree was grown in ill-drained land near a .sluggish stream, a;^ against 
in the other case, ideal conditions of soil and drainage. Kany seeding in Caslilloa 
is no sign of weakness, as would he the case with many species of trees, hut, on the 
contrary, a sign of vigorous growth. 

■"The seed is small, heing ahout half the size of a lillnrl, and is contained in a 
white, papery coat. It should he well dried hefore dispatch. The planting in the 
nurseries should be in bavskets under shade, good loamy earth lieing used. Scjuirrels 
are fond of the yoimg plants and nip off the roots to some extent hut this l)y no means 
kills the plantattached which grows uj) again from Ix-low. The planting out can 
be done when a height of from 1 to (i inches is n ached. 

"If care is taken to plant deep in the clearing with earth well uj) thi- stems, there will 
be very few vacancies and any plants that apparently die l)ack will in most cases send 
up afresh shoot from the roots. It is not necessary "to cadjan shade: the young plant 
has been found to come on regularly and well without this expense being incurred. 
In my own experience dapdap or .some fast-growing shade has been planted at the 
same time as rubbers, but 1 am not convinced that this is nece.s-^ary, though useful as a 
means of keeping down weeds, to the- influence of which Castillon is very susceptible. 
Too dense shade has the result of keeping back the plants or inducing whippy gn)Wth 
as they reach up to the light, whereas in the open the young trees come on well. At 
the present time and with what experience we have I would advocate the planting of 
shade trees, say 20 by 20. Unlike the Para variety, the CastiUoa does not appear to 
be as tempting a morsel to porcupines and cattle; some damage is done, but not much. 
Cocoa seems to come well, if planted at the same time as rubber, and personally I see 
no reason why it should not continue to flourish and to give good crops. The shade of 
CastiUoa is not too dense, and l)eing a tleep feeih-r its roots should be well l)elow those 
of the cocoa. There is considerable litlt^r from the dropping of the large leaves pecu- 
liar to this tree, and this must a.ssist to enri( h the soil to some extent." ("CastiUoa 
elastira in the East,'' bv \V. I'", (i. India Pvubber Journal (London), Vol. XXVIII, 
No. 9, Oct., 1904, p. 418.) 

P.\I{.\ KUBBEK. 

■'The greatest rubber-producing country of the world is the Amazon Valley, embrac- 
ing many thousands of square miles of rubber forests in Brazil, Boliva, and Peru. The 
center of the industry is the city of Para, whence the name 'Para rul)ber.' 

" Althotigh chemically there' is little difference between samples of rubber from 
various species of trees, still it is a well-known fact that Para rubber oi)tained from the 
tree Ilevea brasiliensis is recognized as the standard for grading commercial rubbers. 

" At Para rubber is classified into thn^e grades, known in the United Stales as hue, 
medium, and coarse. The difference in these grades is governed largely l)y amount 
of transparency and care in preparation for the market." (All Al)out Rubber, com- 
piled by J. Ferguson, 3d ed.) 

PARA RUBBER (hEVEA BRASILIENSIS). 

Federated Malaij States— "The latest annual report of the United Planters' Asso- 
ciation of the Federated Malay States devotes special attention to the cultivation of 
Para rubber, which continues' uppermost in the interest of the planters in that region. 
A favorable rate of growth is reported and the absence of pests and diseases among the 
trees. The year covered by the report was the first in which tai)ping had been done 
on a large scale, and the res'ult was a better yield from the young trees than had been 
expected, and the prices realized equal to if not better than those for the finest of rubber 
from Ceylon. More new rubb(>r estates were opened than in any former year, and the 
extension of rubber acreage on the old estates was also larger. The total acreage planted 
with rubber in the Far East is estimated in the report as follows: 

Federated Malay States and the remainder of the Malav Peninsula 30. 000 

Sumatra ' 5. 000 

Java 5. 000 

Ceylon 25. 000 

India and Burma 5, 000 



Total 70, 000 

"The report says: 'We will take it for granted that this 70,000 acres is all good and 
that it will give a good yield of 200 pounds per acre — 14,000,000 pounds. This can not 
all be in full bearing until the end of 1911, and no more than this 70,000 acres can be 
in bearing at the end of 1911, for it is not planted.' 

S. Doc. 356, 59-2 3 



34 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF TIIB PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

"In view of the growing demand for rubber, while the exports from Para remain 
practically constant, the report takes the position that there is no reason to fear over- 
production of rubber, since even the maximum output of Asia by 1911 would be 
hardly more than 10 per cent of the present world's consumption; but even if rubber 
should be overproduced some day, it is felt that Brazil can not compete with Asia 
with rubber at 2s. 6d. per pound, at which price Straits and Ceylon rubber can be sold 
at a profit." (India Rubber World, Vol. XXXII, No. 5, Aug., 1905, p. 377.) 

"A rubber tree from Para seed in the Waterfall Botanic Garden, Penang (Malay 
States), now 17 years old, has had seven tappings, beginning in June, 1897, the total 
yield from which, in dry rubber, is herewith stated in detail, as reported by Mr. C. 
Curtis, superintendent of the garden, to the Straits Agricultural Bulletin. The 
aggregate is 18 pounds 7| ounces, an average per tapping of 2 pounds 10.18 ounces, or 
an average per year of 3 pounds 1.21 ounces. The system of tapping is thus described: 
A small perpendicular channel is cut in the l)ark about a foot in length and one- 
eighth inch broad, but not deep enough to obtain much latex, its object being merely 
to conduct the latex to a tin receptacle fastened at the base. This channel is not sub- 
equently enlarged or interfered with. Two or three incisions are then cut on eitherf 
side, leading obliquely to this channel to supply the latex. From the upper side of 
each of these a thin shaving of bark is removed every morning, or on alternate morn- 
ings, which causes a fresh flowing of latex. In each of these seven tappings a thin 
shaving has been removed thirteen times, which with the initial cutting makes four- 
teen operations, the whole constituting'what Mr. Curtis calls 'one tapping.' Thus the 
times this tree has been operated upon is 7x14, equaling 98, and the average amount 
of dry rubber from each operation about 3 ounces. "The daily amount, however, 
varies very much, the yield from the first two or three operations each season being 
almost nil. No attempt was made until the last tapping to save such rul^ber as may 
have been removed with the shavings of bark referred to, and this, Mr. Curtis thinks, 
would be an important item on a large plantation. A plain carpenter's chisel is con- 
sidered better than a siaecial tapping tool sent to Mr. Curtis, because a finer edge can 
be kept on it, and the sharper the implement the better the flow and the less the loss 
by coagulation in the cuts. 

"This tree resulted from a tree planted in the Singapore Botanic Garden in 1885, 
and was one of a dozen transplanted in Penang early in 1886. It was selected for the 
series of tapping experiments on account of being the largest in the group. 

"'It is not pretended that the resvdts of tapping the tree is of great value as a guide 
to the results to be obtained from a large number, for we now know,' says Superinten- 
dent Curtis, ' that there is a great dissimilarity in the yield of trees of equal size growing 
side by side under exactly similar conditions. The interest in this particular tree, 
then, is that it has been tapped six times, * * * that it shows no sign of deteriora- 
tion, that the incisions made are all healed up, and that the total yield of dry rubber 
during the period is stated.'" (India Rubber World, Vol. XXVII, No. 4, January, 
1903, p. 11.) 

TAPPING PARA RUBBER TREES, PERAK, TAIPING. 

"In the annual report for 1901 on the government gardens and plantations of Perak, 
Taiping, Superintendent Robert Deny records his experiments in tapping Para rubber 
trees. The method adopted involves a vertical incision in the bark, extending from 
the base some 4 feet up the trunk, with 5 oblique branch incisions on each side. Mr. 
Derry tapped two trees, making three sets of incisions in each, each set extending over 
something less than one-third of the circumference of the tree, and comj)ared the result 
with that from a tree cut with only one set of incisions. He is of the opinion that very 
little more rubber is obtained from the extensive tapping. The yield of rubber from 
the first two trees, of the same age and size, was 28| and 26|^ ounces, respectively, 
while from a single set of incisions in a tree slightly older and larger, 32| ounces of 
rubber were obtained. The tapping was done in September last, the same incisions 
being reopened day after day, in the case of the first two trees eleven times, and in the 
case of the third tree eight times. Two of the trees, 10 years old, were 17 and 18 inches 
in diameter, respectively, 3 feet from the ground, and the third, 14 years old, was 20 
inches. 

"Thirty-two Para rubber trees in the Taiping garden, about 12 years old, yielded 125 
pounds of dry rubber, or an average of 3.9 pounds each. It appears that the best 
season for tapping is between June and November. The latex seems to exude most 
freely in wet weather, the occurrence of whichv aries in different years." (India Rub- 
ber World, Vol. XXVII, No. 1, October, 1902, p. 16.) 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 35 

THE CULTIVATION AND PUEPARAIION OF PAPA RlMiDER. 

[By W. H. Johnson, a book review.] 

The book opens willi a general inlrochiclion on the subject of rul>l)> r. Referring to 
Para, the author states: 

"It is estimated that, there are about J 2,000 acres planted with this tree in Ceylon, 
while in the Malay Peninsula there is a still larger area under Para-rubber cultivation. 
The small amount of cultural skill required to successfully plant and (uliivate Para 
rubber, cuupletl with tlu' high pric(\s paid for the rubber which the cultivated tree pro- 
duces, in comparison with that ])aid for other grades of rubl^er, has no doulit largely 
influenced planters in selecting the Para tree in preference to other rubber-producing 
plants. 

"The province of Para, from which the ])roduct of this tree derives its name, is situ- 
ated south latitude 1°. It is reputed to enjoy a remarkably uniform climate, with a 
mean temperature of 81° F., but a very moist atmos])here, and an annual rainfall 
varying from (lO to 90 inches. 

■"The tree has adapted itself to various climatic influences, and in the Gold Coa.st, 
West Africa, this tree, grown in experiinental plots in the Botanic (larden, Al>uri, 
which is situated 1.500 feet above sea level, and where the average nuan tempi-rature 
is about 81.5° F. and the annual rainfall 47 inches, promises better than any other rub- 
ber-producing i)lant, indigenous or exotic. It is likewise favorably reported upon in 
India, Jamaica, Dominica, St. Vincent, Gr(>nada, Trinidad, Zanzibar, Uganda, and 
Mozambique. 

"An experiment in ))acking wa.s carrie(l out l)y the Gold Coast Botanic Gardens last 
year, with a view to ascertain the better method for packing seeds sent from the Orient 
to West Africa, viz, packed with moist soil in ^\'ardian cases, or with cliarcoal and .saw- 
dust in ordinary cases. Twenty thou.sand seeds, packed l)y the first-menti<mefl method 
at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, arrived at the Tarkwa Botanic Statiojr, Gold 
Coast, in November, 1903, and from these 3,400 plants have been raised; while from 
30,000 seeds packed with charcoal and .sawdust in ordinary cases, sent at the same 
time, 3,650 plants have been raised. 

"Sowing the seed in bamboo pots is perhaps most satisfactrny, for t)y this method 
the roots of the plants are not as much disturbed when they aic transferred to the plan- 
tation as in the case wliei'e they are lifted from the nursery beds; while if seeds are sown 
out direct in the plantation and a spell of dry weather follows, a large number will fail 
to germinate. \\'hen large numbers of plants are to b(» raised, it is advisable to select 
a well-sheltered spot, possessing a rich, light, friable soil, and near the site for the plan- 
tation. On this, temporary nursery shelter should be constructed by fixing stout 
upright posts about 8 feet high, in lines 10 feet apart each way, and then on these cross 
bars — the whole sufliciently strong to sujjport a thin layer of palm leaves, split bamboo, 
or some other similar material. Under this the liamboo pots should be placed. 

"Baml)oo pots are manufactured by sawing up bamboo into sections about 1 foot 
long. The bottom of the pot is formed V)y sawing one end of it off about an inch below 
an internode or division of the pole, a hole being made in the division to allow the water 
to drain away. A few rough stones should be placed over the hole to prevent tine soil 
filtering through, and the pot filled within 2 inches of the top with light, friable soil. 
Provided the vitality of the seed is good, one seed is sufficient to sow in each pot, and 
this should be placed on the soil in the pots prepared in the manner above di'scribed, 
and then covered with about an inch of soil. After the seeds germinate and tlu' pots 
become filled with roots, more fre([uent waterings will be necessary. If the plants 
suffer from lack of water at this period, they are liable to receive a severe shock to their 
proper development." (India Rubber journal (London), Vol. XXVIII, No. 12, 
November, 1904, p. 518.) 

PARA RUBHER IN CEYLON. 

[A coinpU'to account of its preparation, cultivation, etc., by Francis J. HoUoway.] 

" For some years the impression in Ceylon was that Para rubber would only grow in 
low-lying lands up to an elevation of 500 feet, and requiring more or less swampy flats. 
The results obtained have dissolved these theories, and now prove that Para rubber 
Avill yield in paying quantities on different soils, on hillsides up to 2,700 feet elevation. 
It is still an open question whether it will pay at a higher elevation than 2,700 feet. It 
seems to grow well on moist soils, even on a gravelly quartz, but of course it is a differ- 
ent thing whether it yields a paying quantity of latex. 

"The only soil I found it would not yield anj,1;hing on is a blue sandy soil, with more 
or less sandstones below the surface. In one instance I found a fine large 12-year-old 
tree growing on a pure blue sand, and on digging a hole beside it, I found 4 feet of sand, 



36 KUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

and then a damp, clayey undersoil, which accounts for the tree growing through a 
structure of sand, and yet looking healthy and large and yielding well. It is true that 
it grows faster at an elevation of 500 feet, but I mucli prefer an elevation of 1,000 feet 
to 1,500 feet, as on tapping the latex, especially in th<' hot weather, it does not stop flow- 
ing as soon at the higher elevation; and as to yield, tree for tree, at the second elevation, 
of similar ages, there is nothing to choose. 

"Para should only be planted on fairly good soil. It will not do very well in very 
stiff soil. The temperature best suited for the cultivation lies between 74° and 94° F., 
and the rainfall over 80 inches to 150 inches. 

"Now we come to a much-disputed point — how far apart to plant. Some recom- 
mend close planting, others distant. My experience leacls me to recommend about 15 
feet by 15 feet apart, giving ai)out 200 trees to the acre. I have seen rubber planted 
30 feet by 30 feet, and 40 feet liy 40 feet, but from results obtained in tapping, there is 
nothing like the extra quantity of rubber from trees planted far apart to make up for 
the poorer growth of close planting. Trees planted at 30 feet Vjy 30 feet grow much 
faster, but 30 feet by 30 feet would only give about 4 pounds per tree in their ninth 
year to equal the 1 pound per tree planted 15 feet by 15 feet. This they certainly do 
not, but have given 1^ pounds against the 1 pound of close planting. 

"Therefore, I certainly do not recommend distant planting, vmless you wish to grow 
some other product as v/ell, such as cocoa, and then a good distance to plant would be 
30 feet by 15 feet, or even 30 feet by 30 feet, with no other shade planted. 

"It will not pay to plant rubber any closer than 15 feet by 15 feet, for the trees would 
grow very weedy and give every inducement for canker fungus. Holes should be cut 
about 2 feet by 1^ feet, and filled with the top soil scraped from around the hole. Holes 
should be filled as soon after burning as possilde in order to get the full benefit of the 
potash, etc. 

" It is scarcely possible to tell good seed from outward appearance, as there is nothing 
to judge the soundness unless it is absolutely light, which can be felt by weight. 
Even if soaked in water, one can not tell a good from a bad seed. The only way to 
Strike an average is to take a few seeds out of each bag on arrival and break them open 
and then take the average. Seed can not be sent on long jom-neys unless carefully 
packed, as they lose their vitality very soon. They can he sent on short journeys up 
to five days simply put in a bag. I ha^e found pacldng them in damp powdered char- 
coal a very good way, find put up in this mannei they keep up to one month, 75 per 
cent of them turning out sound and mostly germinating. 

"From experiments made in packing in damp charcoal, and opening the boxes at 
periods of one, two, three, or four weeks, the results are very satisfactory. After four 
weeks the seed begins to grow too much to stand any longer 'imprisonment' and gets 
so crf)oked and entangled one into the other that they form on the top part of the box 
inside a perfect mass of roots, etc. Seed should l)e washed in a solution of sulphite of 
copper and water just before packing. In ten days seeds are a))Ove ground, and in 
twenty days they are nearly 10 inches in height. About 5,000 seeds is nearly 50 
pounds. Usually the seed is dispatched for local sale in bags of 5,000, which just 
we'gh 50 pounds'— one cooly load. A fresh seed has a very oily feeling 'jutside, and 
when the seed has fallen off the tree for a few days this oily, smooth feeling disappears 
and the outer covering gets a dark-brown color and is rough to the touch. The seeds 
hang in clusters of three in one each is divided from the other by a hard shell about 
one-s'xteenth of an inch tliick. 

"About February the blossom appears and has a very sweet smell, reminding one 
of ' Lankas spicy breezes,' and the buzz of the bees can be distinctly heard all day 
long as one walks underneath. About the 28th of July the first seeds begin to ripen. 
The outer shells are perfectly green when unripe and become quite brown when ripe. 
If it happens to be wet at the time the seed is ripe, not a single one will fall down until 
the sun appears, and then shortly after a few hours' sunshine you can hear crash, 
crash, crash, all over the place, especially if there is any iron roofing close at hand. 
They make quite a noise when they burst open the shell and fall down — on a fine 
night, after a hot day's sun, they will fall all the night through. 

NtTRSERIES AND PLANTING. 

"A good piece of land should be selected for the nursery, fairly flat and with water 
at hand. First, the jungle growth should be cut down, and, when thoroughly dry, 
set fire to, to get a good, even fire. This will kill all the insects, etc., and at the same 
time benefit the soil. 

"Secondly, the whole plat should be well turned over to a depth of about 15 inches, 
and all stumps, roots, and stones taken out and other lumps broken up and made fairly 
smooth. The plat should then be divided into beds, say about 20 feet by 4 feet, with 
a drain in between. This drain should be about 1 foot deep and wide. After this 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF TPIE PHILTPPI>:E ISLANDS. 37 

the Ijods shuuld be siuoothed off and made ready for the seed. Coolies, armed with 
small stakes alxjut as thick as the thuml) and silghtly pointed, press this tool into the 
soil about '5 inches apart anil just deep enough to put the seed in, and then cover it 
with soil for about one-half inch. The best way of laying the seed is on its side, as 
it is not easy to see the germ and it should be laid thus and the root will work down 
into the soil and leave the shoot to grow upward. 

■'If plenty of good nursery land is available, the farther apart the seed is planted 
the better the growth of theplant up to 1 foot by 1 foot. See'l planted fi inches l)y 6 
inches should grow to an av(>rage height of G feet in ten months. I ha\ e known trees 
planted in a prepared hole with manure to grow 10 feet in twelve months. The 
nursery should he well protected, as the young plants are attacked l)y all kinds of 
insects and animals, especially rats, which 1)iutow beni-ath the roots and bite off the 
shoots under the surfac(>; Init. on the whole, the damage done is very small. Nur- 
series should be most t-arefully protected from th(> sun by putting on a good cover 
about 2 feet above bed. as the germination of the seed will depend (m the care taken 
of them during the first ten days. They should be well watered twice daily. .\t the 
end of a month the cover of the nurseries should be gradually taken off. By the end 
of two months no shade is recjuired and the plants will grow all the better in the open 
sunshine. Rubber plants after two months in the nurseries do not require any .'ihade, 
and I have seen whole nurseries badly affected Ijy allowing the cover to remain on. 

■"If plants are put out, fii-st the prepared hole should be slightly trampled upon, 
and then a slake about as thick as the tluimb and 3 feet long forced into the center of 
the prepared hole and staked round; the plant put in carefully to the same depth as 
it was in nursery and the soil pressed against the tap root by pushing the stick into the 
hole somewhat at an angle and pressing toward the plant and trampled round with 
the naked foot. Great care should be taken that the tap root is put in straight, and 
not curled up, as probably the yield of the tree will depend mostly on the depth of 
the tap root. 

"If the estate is kept free from all weeds, etc., few pests will trouble the young 
plants. Wild animals, such as th(> pig and porcupine, and even the hare, will attack 
the ])lants. but to no great exent if well looked after. Plants r(>quire care imtil they 
are alxnit 6 feet in height, and then they grow on without ranch trouble. Near the 
edge of the jungle, a good plan is to tar the lower 2 feet of all plants, as porcupines, 
etc.. will not touch them if this is done now and again." (India Rubber Journal 
(London), Vol. XXVII, No. 10, May, 1904, p. 471.) 

PAR.V RUHBER TAPPING, CCLLODEM, CEYLOX. 

"The plantation t ulbulen. Ceylon, is primarily for tea, the rubljer having been 
planted later through th(> tea and also in some of the valleys. The land is very rocky, 
ironstone alvmnding, but thert> must be something in the soil that suits the I/evea, 
for it flourished wonderfully. T^ne only place where it did not appear to do well was 
in very low ground, where there was no drainage. The swampy portions of the land 
have, therefore, been thoroughly drained; indeed, where some of the 7 and 8 year old 
rubber now is there had once l)een a l)og where cattle were wont to got mired. The 
rubber on this soil, which was very rich, had some 3 feet of drainage. 

"* * * The tapping of the trees begins just as soon as it is light in the morning, 
for through the middle of the day the latex does not flow freely, but starts up again 
apout 4 in the afternoon and is continued until dark. The trees are tapped when 
they show a girth of 2 feet, without regard to their age. No ladders or supports are 
used in ta'i){)ing as it was not found profitable to tap higher than a cooly can reach 
while standing on the gi'ound. The tool is a very simple V-shaped knife with two 
cutting edges and a single slanting cut about 8 inches long has been found to Vie best, 
a tin cup b(>ing placed under the lower end of the cut and held in position l>y forcing 
its sharp edge under the bark. These cuts, by the way. are about a foot apart, some- 
times closer, and all rim in the same direction.' the herring-br)ne and V-shaped cuts 
being no more in evidence. The practice is also ff)llowed now of cutting a very thin 
shaving from one side of the cut every other day. 11 times; in other words, reopening 
instead of tapping. Before placing the tin cup under the cut it is rinsed out in cold 
water to keeji the latex from adhering to the tin and also to keep it from too (juick a 
coagulation. 

"While I was there a very interesting experiment in scraping the outer l)ark from 
the trees had just been finislied. The rt-sults, as far as could be determined, were 
such a stimulation to the lactiferous ducts that the flow was increased nearly 50 per 
cent. The oldest trees on this plantation, by the way, are 18 years, and have pro- 
duced 3 pounds a year; by scraping the outer bark off they expect to get 6 pounds a 
year from each of these. There are only a few of these older trees, however, most of 
them being 7 or 8 years of age. 



38 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE TSLANpS. 

"All through the rubl^er orchards on this estate were hundreds of young Para trees 
that were self-sown; indeed, in many places they had come up so quickly as to be a 
nuisance. 

"* * * After many experiments, the manager at Culloden has satisfied himself 
that only the very early morning or late afternoon are the proper times to tap, as in 
the middle of the day the flow of latex is almost nothing. The trees are therefore tapped 
from 4 until 7 a. m., and after 3.30 p. m., and as long as it is light." (Report of a visit 
to the india-rubber plantations of Ceylon by the editor of The India Rubber World, 
Vol. XXX, No. 4, July, 1904, p. 335.) 

HEVEA RUBBER CULTIVATION, TAPPING, ETC. 

"The Hevea certainly dislikes wind and flourishes best in sheltered positions. It 
seems to grow in the roughest, rockiest positions, and to be quite at home among rocks 
and bowlders in the old beds of mountain torrents. The plants are raised from seed 
which freely germinated sown in beds in the nurseries raised about 3 feet, and about 
4 to 6 feet wide. The plants are generally put out in holes, dug in lines among the 
tea or in special rubber plantations, and when about a year old are known as 'stumps. 

THE TAPPING OPERATION. 

"The age at which tapping should be commenced is now generally considered to 
be 7 years. Rubber-producing latex is yielded some time before this, but the strain 
on the young tree, coupled with the fact that the maturer trees' latex is far richer in 
rubber, make the older age preferable. The bark of the tree is rough and thick, and 
l^efore tapping i.s commenced the outer bark must be shaved off. There are several 
reasons for this. 

SHAVING OF THE TRUNK. 

"With the rough bark on, it is more difficult to make a proper incision for tapping 
and harder to fix the cups. If tapping were carried out on unshaven trees, much 
latex would be iost on the dirty bark, or only result in 'dirty scrap.' But the main 
reason for shaving is that it increases the flow of latex. The exact use of the latex to 
the tree is not yet known, but the result of shaving indicates that one of its uses is to 
heal up wounds and renew bark. For some reason or other, the shaving greatly in- 
creases the quantity of latex in the tissues immediately below the shaved portion, and 
this result is found even if only a small portion of the trunk is shaved. Shaving seems 
to have an irritating influence on the latex, drawing a great quantity of it into the lati- 
ciferous cells immediately above the shaved portion. The tree to be tapped is shaved 
over the tapping surface about two weeks before tapping is to commence. On some 
estates the whole trunk, from base to some 6 feet up, is shaved; other planters hold 
that it is better to shave just those parts where the incifeions are to be made; but this, 
of course, depends to some extent upon the system of tapping to be adopted, and is 
a subject for much experiment. 

VARIOUS TAPPING METHODS. 

"V-shaped cuts are in favor, as D in figure 1. The cuts are about 8 to 10 inches in 
length, and this method is highly recommended by Monsignor Collet. The herring- 
bone system seems not to be in favor in Ceylon, a series of small V cuts being given 
the preference (see B in fig. 1).' Another kind of cut seen on one estate is a twisted 
cut starting at a point and half encircling the tree, being in all about 24 inches long 
(as C in fig. 1), l>ut this plan of tapping is not continued. On two estates, leading 
rubber estates, the method adopted is what, for want of a better name. I will term 
the 'zigzag' system (E in fig. 1). It consists of a cut 6 inches long, at angle of 45° with 
the perpendicular, then a vertical cut of 2 inches, and then another of 6 inches cut 
parallel to the first. A series of these cuts is made down the tree, the initial point of 
each cut ])eing on a level with the final point of the cut al>ove. For the second day's 
work a fresh cut is not made, but the lower side of each 6-inch cut is simply pared 
with a gouge. By those who use this method it is greatly recommended, and the 
results obtained certainly seem good. This paring of the lower side of the cut, instead 
of a new incision, might well be extended to other methods of tapping also, and 
seems to be economical in taxing the bark-renewing resources of the tree, while the 
flow of latex from the pared portion is first rate. On the accompanying diagram 
(which is not exactly drawn to scale) the various methods of tapping referred to 
are represented, and also a method highly recommended by Monsignor Collet. This 
is a series of cuts in four, each about 4 inches long; the first cut one day. the next a 
little distance below, followed by more series until the base of the tapping area is 
reached; then another series of forms is begun parallel to the first one, and so on. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACIIY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 39 
A GERMAN CONGRESS DISCUSSES RUBBER. 

''At the second German Colonial Congress (Berlin. October 4-8) a considerable part 
of the programme was devoted to the consideration of topics connected with caoutchouc 
and the world's supply of this important commodity. * * . * 

' ' The question of the eventual overproduction of rubljcr was next touched on by the 
speaker as a matter of practical interest in connection with engaging in its culture. He 
quoted figures to show that at present some GO 000 liectares (148 2()0 acres) were 
devoted to rubber plantations of which Ki.OOO are in Ceylon, 15,000 in tlie Malay states, 
and 4.000 in Mexico. Should the yield l)e only 1,000 marks per hectare (at present a 
net profit of twice this sum is cak-ulat ed on planial ions of Hevea ) . within a few years a 
harvi'st would be valued at (JO 000,000 marks (S14 280,000); or, if we figure the annual 
yield per hectare at an average of 200 to 250 kilograms of rul^ber, the (iO 000 hectares 
would yiekl 12 000 to 15,000 tons of caoutchouc, equal to about 20 per cent of the 
world's total present production. It must be consiaered, howev(>r, that the produc- 
tion of wild rubber will decrease rather than increase, especially if prices should de- 
cline. At the same time a fall in prices would lead to increase in consumption. 

Therefore the overproduction of caoutchouc is not to be feared for a long time to come. 
* * * 

' ' The speaker urged participation in rubber- planting undertakings. Hesitation, he 
said, meant a serious loss to the national capital in the colonies, and every ton of rubber 
obtained in their own colonies was a material gain to the Empire in eniiancing its inde- 
pendence of other countries. He solicited earnest support for tlie Kolonial-\\ irtschaft- 
lichen Komitees, which has endeavored to further riil)ber culture in colonial Germany, 
and is now preparing to send a caoutchouc and gutta-percha expedition to New 
Guinea. He touched upon the importance of granting valid titles to colonial lands 
for planting purposes as a further incentive to capitalists to interest themselves in 
rubber culture. He regretted that this culture had not started in the German colonies 
twenty years ago, in which event rublter jtrices might not be so high to-day, and cer- 
tain recent failures of rubber factories might have l)een averted. 

"In the ensuing discussion, further proofs were offered of the profits to be expected 
from rubber planting. Attacks were made, however, on the newly organized Samoa- 
Kautschuk Compagnie, which was accused of giving rise to too high expectations of 
profits. In the absence of a representative of the company. Doctor \\'arl>iirg arose in 
its defense. He said it was surprising with what et\ergy and intelligence this company 
had begun operations in securing 400 000 young plants of Herca brcmlirnsis in W'ardian 
cases and 700 000 seeds in various packings, for shipment from Ceylon and Malacca to 
the new plantation." (From India Rublter "World, Dec, 1, 1905.) 

' ' * * * The qualities vary, even from the same estate, according to the age of the 
trees, while yet so young. We judge that the rul)ber has not attained its full strength 
till the tree is at least 8 or 9 years old; younger than that, though good gum. it has not 
the strength of hard cure ^^ladeira fine Para and is uneven in strength. There is no 
difference noticeable in the rubber tree from 8-year-old trees from different planta- 
tions. We have used about 4 to 5 tons in testing it from about 20 ])lantations. As yet 
it is not safe to use for the finest work, such as india-ruijber thread and the best blad- 
ders, but where a 'weak Para' will do, it is all right." (From India Rubber World, 
IJec. 1. 1905. By P. J. Burgess, public rubber expert. F. M. S.) 

copies of letters regarding para rl'bber seeds. 

American Consulate-General, 
Singapore, S. S., December 23, 1904. 
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith copy of letter from Mr. W. Duninan, of 
this city, as to prices of Para-rubbc>r seed. Mr. Dunman is a practical planter and is 
here an admitted authority on rubber cultm-e. 

I have the honor to be, sir, yotn* obedient servant, 

O, F. \\'ii.LiAMS, American Consul-General. 
The Hon, Dean Worcester, 

Secretary of the Interior, Manila, P. I. 



Singapore, December 19, 190i. 

Dear Sir: I have made arrangenn-nts with some of the leading planters in the 
F. M. S. for the supply of Para-rubber seed, and am in a position to supply selected 
seed from trees 5 years and over at $5,50 (silver) per 1,000, packed in boxes of 50,000 in 
dry pounded charcoal, delivered in Singapore. 

The season is between August and November. 



40 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

As there is a considerable demand, it would be as well to book orders as soon as 
possible, and I am prepared to do this for the next five years. 
I am, dear sir, yours, faithfully, 

W. DUNMAN. 

O. F. Williams, Esq., 

United States Consul, Present. 

Singapore, March 28, 1905. 
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your order for 5,000 Para seed. 
As the Para trees appear to be fruiting earlier than usual, I hope to be able to dis- 
patch the lot in May or June. * * * 

I have the honor to be, sir. your obedient servant, 

W. DuNMAN. 

Capt. George P. Ahern, 

Chief Bureau of Forestry, Manila. 

Singapore, July (>, 19U5. 
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23d ultimo in 
ri'gard to Para-rubber seed. 

I have to report that the Para trees all over the Peninsula are uncommtmly short of 
crop this year, and, in addition to this, the crop will be later than usual. 

You may rest assured that your order will be sent forward as soon as ever the seeds 
ripen and are procm'able. 

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, 

Dunman & Pickering. 
Oapt. George P. Ahern, 

Chief , Bureau of Forestry , Manila. 

Singapore, September 29, 1905. 
Dear Sir: I have to advise you that I am shipping per steamship Isla de Luzon, 
leaving this 15th of October, 5,000 Para seed, which is carefully selected and packed, 
either in charcoal or saAvdust. Please see that they are planted out into nm'sery at 
once or they will not germinate. 

I find that similar seed sent to Java resulted in about GO per cent germinating. 
Should you want further seed this season, you will have to let me know promptly. 
I am, dear sir, yours, faithfully, 

W. Dunman. 
The season has been abnormally late this year. 
Capt. George P. Ahern, 

Forestry Bureau, Manila. 

Singapore, October 14, 1905. 
Sir: I have the honor to adA'ise the shipment to-day, per bearer, of two cases of 
Para-rubber seed, and have drawn on your Government for cost at Ex. 106 — ¥"31.80. 
The documents are in the hands of the Chartered Bank. 

Please see that delivery is promptly taken of the seed, and that .same is plantetl 
without delay, as they go off very quickly. About 60 per cent should germinate. 
Large quantities of seeds have been exported this month at very high prices (about 
12). The season was very late, which accounts for the delay. 
Trusting you will get satisfactory results and that you will be sending me large 
rders, 

I am, sir, yours, faithfully, W. Dunman. 

Capt. George P. Ahern, 

Chief Bureau of Forestry, Manila. 

LETTER TO A. DETERMANN. 

Department of the Interior, Bltreau of Forestry, 

Manila, P. I., February 19, 1906. 
Mr. A. Determann, 

Baer Senior & Co.' s Successors, Manila, P. I. 
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 14th instant, 
requesting information concerning privileges to extract rubber and gutta-percha, 
timber, and other forest products from public lands in the Philippine Islands as 
follows: 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. -41 

Attention is invited to the following sections of the forest act: 

"Sec. 13. The chief of the bureau of forestry, with the approval of the secretary of 
the interior, may, as herein provided, issue licenses for the cutting, collection, and 
removal of timber, firewood, gums, resins, and other forest products from the public 
forests and forest reserves. Every license so issued shall specify In detail the rights to 
which it entitles the holder and shall provide, whenever practicable, for exclusive ter- 
ritory in similar products to each licensee. All licen.ses for timber shall provide for 
the selection of said timber before cutting: Provided, That when absolutely necessary 
the selection of tinil)er or (he granting of exclusive t«'rritory may, in the discretion of 
the chief of the bureau of forestry, be omitted in any license terminating not later than 
June thirtietli, nineteen hundred and eight, after which date the selection of timber 
and the gi-anting of exclusive territory, whenever practicaltle, shall be requirecj. 

'"Sec 14. No license granted under the provisions of this act shall continue in force 
for more than twenty years. The chief of the bureau of forestry, with the approval of 
the secretary of the interior, may, in granting any exclusive license, prescribe such 
terms, conditions, and limitations, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, 
including a minimum amount of timl:)er to be cut M^ithin a specified period or periods of 
time, as may ])e deemed liy the chief of the bureau of forestry and secretary of the inte- 
rior to be in the public interest and may provide, in such licenses for forfeiture thereof in 
case of violation of such terms, conditions, or limitations. 

"Sec. 2(). Whenever an exclusive license of any class sliall have been issued to any 
person, company, corporation, or other association for the cutting or removing from the 
public forest »r forest reserves, of timber, firewood, or other forest products, stone, or 
earth, it shall be unlawful for any other person, company, corporation, or association, 
while such license is in force, to enter or operate within the territory covered by such 
exclusive license contrary to the terms tliereof: Provided, Tliat the residents within or 
adjacent to said territory may be permitted to cut or remove timber, firewood, other 
forest products, ston(>, or earth for domestic purposes. 

'■ If, contrary to the provisions of this section, any person, company, corporation, or 
other association sliall enter upon, and shall cut or remove, or attempt to cut or remove, 
timber, Qi-ewood, other forest products, stone, or earth, said property so attempted to be 
cut or removed shall be seized as government property by the local forest official or 
other representative of the forestry bureau, and the person making the seizure shall 
promptly notify the holder of the exclusive license affected thereby, and the said 
property so seized shall be surrendered to him upon the payment of the proper govern- 
ment charges thereon. Should, however, acceptance of said property and the i)ay- 
ment of the charges thereon be refused, it shall be disposed of in the manner provided 
in section thirty-two of tliis act for the disposition of forest products, st(me, or earth 
upon which the gi>vi'rnment charges have not l^^en paid, and the proceeds turned over 
to the proper official to whom the government charges thereon should have been paid.' ' 

No charge is made for any class of license issued by this bureau. Government 
charges on forest j)roflucts are im4)osed after said products are gathered, as prescribed in 
the forest act. In Mindanao the charges on timber per cubic meter range from 50 cen- 
tavos up to P2.50. depending upon the class of timber taken. Native woods are 
divided into four groups. The i-harges on firewood are as follows: Ten centavos per 
cubic meter for small pieces less than HO centimeters in length and 7 centimeters in 
diameter. Larger pieces of firewood are known as '"rajas." They range in size from 
60 centimeters to ii mei(>rs in length and from 7 to 15 centimeters in diameter. One 
pe.so is charged for each 1.000 rajas. 

On all gums, resins, and other forest products a charge of 10 per cent on the actual 
market value at the jjlace where gathered is charged. 

At ("otal)ato, Mindanao, where a large porportion of the gutta-])erclia is brought to 
market, the price pvv picid of 139^ pounds is fixed at F70,"on which the government 
collects 10 per cent, or F7 per picid. At tin»<'s as much as P2,000 per month was col- 
lected on gutta-])ercha alone in this town. Very little rul>ber has been brought to 
market at this point. 

All but two licenses granted by this bureau expire at the end of each fiscal year, 
June 30. Two licenses are for twenty years: one is for a tract in Mindoro Island and 
the other in the province of Occidental Negros. 

A few months ago. when the Uist leader of hostile Moros was killed in the Rio Grande 
Valley near Cotabato. a number of applications for licenses to gather rubber and 
gutta-percha were sent in by Chinamen who were located in the town of Cotabato. 
These applications wtn-e not granted for the reason that this office does not wish the 
present methods of extracting rubber and gutta-percha to be continued. The gutta- 
percha trees are felled before the latex is extracted. This destructive practice would, 
within a few years, destroy all of the large gutta-percha trees of this valley. Recently 
several of the leading More chiefs in Mindanao have expressed a desire to assist in 



42 RUBBEE-PEODUCING CAPACITY OP THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

teaching the natives the proper methods of extracting gutta-percha. The forester in 
charge of the district has been ordered to give these people the necessary instructions. 

In accordance with the provisions of the forest act, the undersigned would approve 
an application for a twenty-year exclusive privilege to gather all forest products in 
the Rio Grande Valley south of the town of Cotabato, provided the applicant makes 
a satisfactory showing that the privilege granted would be used, and that each of 
the forest products asked for would be gathered in quantities according to the area 
of the country granted. 

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the most fertile regions in the world. The soil is 
very rich, easily drained, and easily cultivated. The foothills on each side of the 
valley afford a variety of elevation above sea level suitable to the planting of rubber 
and gutta-percha. The rainfall averages about 2,000 millimeters per year. The 
conditions of soil and climate and elevation seem to warrant the planting of rubber 
and gutta-percha on a large scale. 

The applicant for a twenty-year exclusive privilege would be required to state 
that, in addition to fulfilling the ordinary requirements of the forest act, regulations 
and orders, he would make an effort to stop the felling of gutta-percha trees in his 
district, and that he would plant at least 250 acres of rubber and gutta-percha trees 
per year, until he had planted the full area of public land that an incorporated com- 
pany would be allowed to purchase from the government. At present, this limit 
is fixed at 2,500 acres. The provision of purchase of public land has not been extended 
to the Rio Grande Valley at the present, but will be in the near future. 

The company will not be required to plant any special variety of rubber, but will 
be expected to plant at least 50 acres in gutta-percha each year. The land so planted 
would be land that the company has purchased or desires to purchase from the 
Philippine government. 

Every assistance will be afforded applicants in looking over the region desired. A 
trained forester will be placed at the disposal of the applicant for this purpose, and 
all data in this office concerning the region and its resources will also be made available. 

The Philippine Islands comprise an area of more than 73,000,000 acres, of which 
less than 6,000,000 acres are under cultivation. At least 50,000,000 acres are wood- 
lands, of which much less than 1 per cent is held by private owners. 

There are large areas of public forest in the islands of Mindanao, Mindoro, Palawan, 
and Samar that are practically untouched and where deep, rich soil would amply 
repay any effort at cultivation. 

The undersigned, in a recent trip across the island of Mindanao, was much impressed 
with the depth and richness of the soil in that region, where cut banks, more than 10 
feet in depth, showed nothing but the rich, black decomposed lava, which is so won- 
derfully fertile. As a recent traveler recently remarked, the Philippine Islands are 
the richest, most fertile undeveloped regions in the Orient. These lands are awaiting 
cultivation, and this office will assist in any way any person or company desiring to 
begin operations. 

Applications for licenses for the new fiscal year will be received during April, May, 
and June, and as all licenses are dated to begin July 1, I would suggest that your 
friends make an effort to take up this matter liefore the end of May. 
Very respectfully, 

George P. Ahern, Director of Forestry. 

Copy respectfully furnished the honorable the secretary of the interior, for his 
approval. 
Approved: 

Dean C. Worcester, 

Secretary of the Interior. 

A FEW PERTINENT EXTRACTS FROM THE ABOVE NOTES. 
CASTILLOA. 

A continuously humid climate is not necessary to the growth and the productive- 
ness of Costilla. 

The percentage of rubber increases during the dry season and diminishes during 
the wet. 

The gathering of rubber from trees less than 8 years old is not likely to be advan- 
tageous. 

The rubber of CasLilla is scarcely inferior to that of Herea; the supposed inferiority 
is due to substances which can be removed from the milk by heat and by dilution 
in water. 

Estimates from various American planters in Mexico: Yield, 6-year-old tree, 4 to 6 
oimces; 7-year-old tree (bled to death), 1 pound; 8 to 10 year old tree, 1 pound. 



RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 43 



It is believed that the size of the rubber tree has more to do with the amount of 
rubber it will produce than its age. Two and three-tenths pounds rubber milk pro- 
duce 1 pound of rubber. 

Average yield. 



Age. 



Amount. 



Number 
of trees. 



Age. 



Amount. 



! Ounces. \ 

Vyears 9.3 < 257 1 10 

8 years 14.2.5 14 12 years. 

9 years 18 i 7 , . 



Ounces. 
17.5 
28.9 



Number 
of trees. 



A.cre at 12 years yields 314 pounds. 

Three varieties of Oastilloa: Alba, negra, rubru. 

Alba is hardiest and best. 

Requires very deep soil, of a rich, loamy character, with best of drainage. 

Grows be.st at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,500 feet; at sea level refuses to grow well 
after i-eaching a height of 10 to 15 feet. The root is very deep. Robust tree; stands 
wind; likes drought. A rapid grower; in Ceylon has reached a height of 34 feet in 
foiu' years, with a girth of 25 to 30 inches. 

Seed hardy and easily packed; keeps well in charcoal. 

Castilloa susceptible to weeds. 



A Para-rubber tree in the Botanical Garden at Penang, planted on poor, gravelly soil 
on a dry bank, was first tapped at the age of 11 years. The total yield from six tappings 
within the next five years yielded 16 pounds and 10 ounces of rubber. 

Small amoimt of cultural skill required to successfully plant and cultivate Para 
rubber. 

The tree has adapted itself to various climatic influences, and on the Gold Coast of 
West Africa found in IJotanical Garden. Aburi, 1,500 feet above sea level; temperature, 
81.5° F.; rainfall. 47 inches. 

Para rublier will yield in paying quantities on different soils on hillsides to 2,700 feet 
elevation. 

Does well at 500 feet elevation; better between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above sea level. 
Should be ])lanted in fairly good soil ; it will not do well in a fairly stiff soil. Tempera- 
ture best suited for its cultivation, 74" to 94° K.; rainfall, 80 to 150 inches. 

Distance apart to plant, 15 by 15 feet, 200 trees per acre. Holes, 2 by l^feet, and 
should be iilled with top soil. 

Seed should be packed in damj), powdered charcoal; may be kept a month, and 75 
per cent germinate. Seed should be washed in a solution of sulphite of copper just 
before packing. Seed above ground in ten days; twenty days, 10 inches high. Five 
thousand seed packed weigh 50 pounds. Seeds begin to ripen about the last of July. 

Nursery, good piece of land, broken to 15 inches, well cleared and worked. Beds 
20 l)y 4 feet, drain between 1 foot deej) and wide. Cover seed with one-half inch of 
soil. Lay seed on its side. Seed planted 6 by 6 inches will grow (j feet in 10 months. 
Nursery should be protected from insects and rats. Plants slu)uld be pixitected liom 
the sun until 2 feet above bed; should be watered twice daily. Cover should be 
gradually removed and at the end of two months will be found to grow better in the 
open. 

Taproot should \k' put in straight and not curled up. Plants require care until 6 
feet high. 

Tappinc/. — Latex does not flow freely through the middle of the day. It is usual 
to tap from 4 to 7 a. m. and from 3.30 p. m. to dark. Trees are tapped when they show 
a girth of 2 feet without regard to their age. Not found profitable to tap higher than a 
coolie can reach standing on the ground. 

- The outer bark is scraped off to stimulate anil increase flow. The bark is shaved off 
about two weeks before tapping it again. On some estates the whole trunk up to 6 
feet is shaved; on others just where tapped. 

The sharper the'implement the better the flow and the less the loss by coagulation 
and cuts. 

The best season for tapping is between June and November. The latex seems to 
exude most freely in wet weather. 

Hevea dislikes wind and flourishes in sheltered positions; seems to grow best in 
roughest, rockiest positions. 

Para trees develop poorly in the swampy districts of Ceylon, butjprosper excellently 
in'higher, drier locations.^ , 



44 RUBBER-PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

Three grades of Para — fine, medium, coarse. Governed by amount of transparency 
and care in preparation for the market. 

During the season 1896-97 the planting of Para rubber was taken up seriously in the 
Federated Malay States. The first tapping in this region began in 1904. 

Total acreage planted in Para rubber in the Far East in 1904, 70,000 acres. Will be 
in full bearing in 1911, and may yield 14,000,000 pounds, hardly more than 10 per cent 
of present world's consumption. 

The accompanying map is taken from Dr. Penoyer L. Sherman's Bulletin on "The 
Gutta-Percha and Rubber of the Philippine Islands." 

The samples of rubber and gutta-percha gathered personally by Doctor Sherman, and 
the samples of rubber gathered by him and by Governor Offley, of Mindoro, and others, 
show that there is a wide distribution of high-grade native rubber in the Philippine 
Islands. The gutta-percha gathered by Doctor. Sherman was found to be of high 
grade. 

The Para, Castilloa, Ceara, and Assam rubber trees have grown well in a number of 
places in these islands. The oldest of the three first-mentioned varieties is not over 
4 years of age and not ready for tapping, l)ut all show good growth. 

There are extensive regions of unoccupied public land, from sea level to 6,000 feet 
elevation, awaiting the settler or company, where rich, well-drained soil, ample rain- 
fall, and other conditions combine to make the prospect attractive to rubber planters. 

HOW PUBLIC LAND MAY BE ACQUIRED. 

The public-land laws allow homesteads to citizens of the islands and of the United 
States; the amount of land that may be taken up under the homestead act is 16 hec- 
tares (2.47 acres per hectare). 

Individuals may purchase 16 hectares of lan<l. Individuals or companies may lease 
1,024 hectares of public land for twenty-five years, with privilege of renewal for the 
same period. Cost of lease is 50 centavos to PI. 50 per hectare per year. 

Incorporated companies may purchase 1,024 hectares of public land at a minimum 
charge of P'lO per hectare. One-quarter of the purchase price is paid at time of pur- 
chase; the balance may be paid at any time within five years. 

LITERATURE OF INDIA RUBBER. 

Brannt, Wm. T. India Rubber, Gutta-percha, and Balata, 1900. Publishers, Henry 
Carey Baird & Co., 810 Walnut street, Philadelphia, Pa. Price and postage, 
$3.25, United States currency. 

Ferguson, J. (compiler). All about Rubber and Gutta-percha, 3d ed., 1899. Pub- 
lishers. John Little & Co., Singapore. Price and postage, rupees 5. 

Johnson, W. H., director agriculture, Gold Coast, West Africa. The Cultivation and 
Preparation of Para Rubber, 1904. Publishers, India Rubber Journal, 37 and 38 
Shoe Lane, London, England. Price and postage, 8s. 

Pearson, Henry C. Crude Rubber and Compounding Ingredients, 1899. Pub- 
lishers, India Rubber Publishing Company' 150 Nassau street, New York, N. Y. 
Price and postage, $5, United States cuiTency. 

periodicals. 

The Indian Forester, Pioneer Press, Allahabad, India. Annual subscription, Rs. 12. 

Single copies, Rs. 1. (3 Rs. equal $1, United States currency.) 
The India Rubber World, 150 Nassau street. New York, N. Y. Annual subscription, 

$3, United States currency. Single copies, 35 cents. United States currency. 
India Rubber Journal, London, England. Annual subscription, 16s. Single copies, 

6d. 
The Tropical Agriculturist, A. M. and J. Ferguson, Colombo and Ceylon. Annual 

subscription, |5, United States currency. 
Agricultural Bulletins of the Straits and Federated Malay States, Kelly & Walsh, 194 

Orchard road, Singapore. Annual subscription for European countries, 7s. To 

United States, not stated. Single copies, 50 cents, local currency. 
The Preparation of Rubber at Mergui, Tenasserim. (Experiments at a government 

station in Burma.) The Indian Forester, Allahabad. XXXI, 9 (September, 

1905). Pp. 530-534. 
The Gutta-percha and Rubber of the Philippine Islands. By Penoyer L. Sherman, 

jr., Ph. D. (Published by Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 
Para Rubber. By Herbert W^right, Colombo, 1905. 
L'Hevea brasiliensis. By G. Vernet, Hanoi, China, 




FIG. 1.— DIAGRAM SHOWING METHODS OF TAPPING HEVEA BRASILIENSIS i PARA\ 

CEYLON. 



I K N '07 



^., 



